A Bedside Vigil
by Queen Sunstar
Summary: Ash is badly injured saving Bonnie. He is taken to a Pokemon Center where Nurse Joy manages to stabilize him. Before Joy can arrange to have Ash taken to the Snowbelle Hospital for further treatment, a massive storm blankets the area, making travel impossible. Serena keeps a constant vigil over Ash, wondering if she'll get the chance to reveal her feelings for him.
1. Chapter 1

The injury was pretty gruesome. There was no way Ash was going to be able to walk, not with the state his leg was in. There were two open fractures, one in which the tibia had torn free through the skin. The second one was far worse. The femur had broken in three places and two of the pieces stuck up out of a deep rip. Blood was still pouring from the wounds. The leg was bent unnaturally.

Bonnie was crying. This was her fault. If only she had grabbed Ash's hand! She was safe because Ash had let go of Serena's hand and fallen after her, catching her and taking the brunt of the impact as they hit the ground. Clemont was more worried about injuries he couldn't see. Bunnelby ran to Serena and tapped on Braxion's poke ball, then ran to Ash and tugged on Frogadier's poke ball. He bounced in place before repeating his actions.

"Bunnelby, what is it?" Clemont asked.

"I think he wants Braxion and Frogadier." Serena said.

"That's it! Braxion can help far better than I can! They are healers after all!" Clemont said excitedly.

Serena released Braxion, who rushed to Ash's side. She used her rough tongue to clean the wounds. Frogadier, released by Clemont, joined her. Braxion gave the semiconscious Ash a very apologetic look. Gently, she pressed on a bone, and was rewarded with a click. This brought Ash back to wakefulness. He let loose with an agonized scream, tears streaming down his face. Braxion winced, hating herself for having to cause pain.

" **Frubble, please.** " Braxion requested.

Frogadier complied, watching as Braxion worked. Ash screeched as Braxion pushed the next bone back into place. Frogadier looked away, hurting with his trainer. Braxion set the last bone, and Ash screamed again before passing out. Braxion added frubble and set it with a low powered flamethrower, creating a soft and gooey material that quickly hardened. This would keep the bones in place and provide stability.

"Good work, Braxion." Serena said, studying her pokedex, "We are in luck. There is a Pokemon center nearby. Nurse Joy can help Ash. It's almost 10 miles away. There is no way Ash can walk that far."

"I don't think we can carry him that far ether." Clemont said.

"Could Luxray carry him?" Serena asked.

"No, but he could pull something like a sled. There is no material to make one." Clemont looked around.

"We can't leave him here!" Bonnie cried out.

At that moment, the sound of flapping wings reached their ears. They looked up, spotting a white dragon overhead. The dragon circled, and landed gracefully. Her trainer dismounted. The girl wore blue jeans and a white turtleneck tank top with white riding boots. Her short dark hair was windswept as she wasn't wearing a hat.

"I saw the fall." She said, "My name is Jayasuria, but call me Lady J. I used to travel with Ash. We traveled Unova together along with my husband, N. This is my partner, Reshiram."

"I'm Serena, and these two are Clemont and Bonnie. Can you help us get Ash to the Pokemon center?" Serena asked.

"I was going to offer my assistance. There is a center 10 miles away, and we will get there faster by flying." Lady J smiled, "Charizard, Talonflame, I need your help!" She released her two Pokemon. "Let's see. Talonflame, can you carry Bonnie?"

" **It will be my pleasure!** " The fire bird chirped.

"Charizard, will you carry Clemont and Serena?"

" **Of course, dahling!** " Charizard knelt.

"Can you handle both me and Ash, Reshiram?"

" **I can.** " Reshiram nodded.

"I want to ride with Ash, if it is okay that is." Serena requested.

"Will that be okay with you, Reshiram?" Lady J asked.

" **It's fine with me.** " Reshiram nodded.

"Lets go! Charizard, can you move Ash?" Lady J asked.

Charizard carefully picked up the injured trainer. Serena sat on Reshiram's back. Ash's limp form was placed in front of her. Reshiram took a running leap to get airborne. Serena held Ash in front of her. She felt the boy moan in pain, and winced.

"Hang in there, Ash. We are almost there. Soon, Nurse Joy will make you feel better. I promise." She whispered.

The flight seemed to be taking forever. Normally, Bonnie would have jumped at the chance to ride a Pokemon, but not today. She was still crying. Ash was hurt and it was her fault. Why couldn't she grab his hand? Talonflame gave a sudden squawk, wincing. Bonnie looked down and quickly loosened her hold on the fire birds feathers.

"It's the twerps!" A very familiar voice rang out.

"That's Reshiram, a legendary Pokemon from Unova!" Another familiar voice rang out.

"Team Rocket!" Lady J growled.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie called out.

"Make it double!" James called out.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"Pikachu!" A lightning bolt sent Team Rocket flying.

"Hey no fair!" Jessie screamed.

"We didn't even get to finish!" James wailed.

"Right in the middle of the motto too!" Meowth added.

"Team Rockets blasting off again!" Team Rocket vanished over the horizon.

"Good job, Pikachu. Right in the middle of the motto. You deserve a bottle of ketchup for that." Lady J said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

It wasn't long after that that they arrived at the Pokemon center. The Pokemon landed. Bonnie and Clemont ran inside. Nurse Joy rushed after them outside, her Mew following with a stretcher. Lady J and Serena already had gotten Ash off of Reshiram's back.

"What happened?" Joy asked.

"We got chased by a group of Toxicroak off a cliff. Clemont used his Aipom arm to grab a branch. He caught me and I caught Ash. Ash tried to catch Bonnie but missed. He looked up at me and let go of my hand. He caught Bonnie mid fall and took the brunt of hitting the ground. We got to him as fast as we could. Braxion and Frogadier dealt with his leg." Serena explained.

"Smart thinking. Braxion are healers." Joy stood with Ash in her arms. She put him on the stretcher, and wheeled him into the center. Everyone went inside. Nurse Joy took her patient to her treatment room, Mew following. Once she was alone, she stepped back. Joy had treated trainers for colds and injuries before, but never one as badly injured as Ash. She knew Ash needed help, but could she give that help?

" **Joyance.** " Mew's voice brought her back. " **Let's start with x-rays first.** "

Joy nodded, and pulled over the X-Ray machine. She took X-rays of Ash's body. While those developed, she did a physical examination of Ash's body after undressing him, and draping a cotton sheet over him. Mew had gotten a hospital gown out and laid it on the counter. Joy took notes by recorder as she worked.

"Nurse Joyance Elaine speaking. My patient is a Pokemon trainer named Ash Ketchum. Visible injuries are three compound fractures on the right leg, the femur and tibia. The leg shows obvious deformities, so I expect further fractures. Vitals are as follows; heart rate 120 beats per minute, breaths at 23 per minute, blood pressure is systolic, 112 over 89. Eyes are reactive, temps 99 degrees Fahrenheit, patient reacts strongly to pain stimulus." Nurse Joy hung up the X-rays, "Beginning internal examination. Head X-ray is clear, no neck injury. Clearing C-collar. Chest X-ray shows collapsed lung, fractures to mid to lowest ribs, consistent with a fall. X-rays of right leg show twin compound fractures of the femur, one compound fracture of the tibia, knee is free floating, ankle is intact, foot is fine. Fibula has a twist fracture. Left leg is not injured."

At that moment, Ash came to. His body was throbbing badly.

"Nurse Joy…" He whispered.

"Easy, Ash. You are going to be fine. I'm going to give you something for pain, okay? Can you tell me what hurts the most?" Joy asked, knowing Mew was already preparing the morphine.

"M-my leg." Ash responded.

Mew came over with a syringe full of golden liquid. " **You will feel a slight pinch.** " He gave the injection. Ash seemed to relax as the morphine took effect. " **Do you know what happened to you?** "

"Fell, is Bonnie okay?" Ash asked worriedly.

" **She is okay.** " Mew reassured.

"I couldn't let her die, so I let go of Serena's hand and fell after her. I caught her and rolled, taking the impact myself." Ash explained.

"You have some serious injures. I need to put in a chest tube to inflate your collapsed lung, and I need to repair the damage to your leg." Joy explained.

Ash felt himself getting tired. A sudden surge of what felt like fire struck his chest. He started coughing, hard. Blood splattered around his mouth. Nurse Joy quickly rolled him to his side.

" **We need to do an ultrasound! He's bleeding internally!** " Mew ordered.

"Chest tube!" Joy grabbed the tube and made an incision into Ash's right side. She slid the tube in. First came a hiss of air, than came the blood. It poured, a thick slurry of clots and fluid onto the floor. "Oh Arceus!"

Watching from the window, Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, and Lady J gasped. Pikachu had his face pressed into the glass. Bonnie staggered backward, and Talonflame moved to her side, using a wing to pull her close. Charizard and Reshiram were back in their poke balls. Talonflame had requested to remain out of his poke ball for a while. Lady J had agreed. Bonnie clung to Talonflame, trembling, while the fire bird cooed softly to her.

"It's my fault!" The little girl choked out, crying again. "He got hurt because of me!"

"Bonnie." Serena turned, only for Talonflame to shake his head no. He chirped.

"He says Bonnie needs to cry. She is releasing her grief. Give her some time to get it out of her system." Lady J translated.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu's cry tore their attention back to the window. Serena's hands flew up to her mouth. Clemont's jaw hung open. Lady J watched, her expression blank. Bonnie looked, than buried her face into Talonflame's soft chest. She didn't want to watch any more.

Inside the room, Mew darted toward the crash cart while Joy started CPR. Mew parked the cart and dashed toward the intubation tray. Joy grabbed the tray while Mew took over CPR.

"Mew, you bag!" They swapped effortlessly, "Come on, Ash, don't do this to us." She applied the paddles, "Clear!" Mew jumped back, than forward.

" **No pulse.** **Supersonic.** " Mews eyes glowed, " **He's lost almost two thirds of his total blood volume into his abdomen. I'm trying to find the source of the bleeding. Joy, what ever was bleeding seems to have stopped. He is going to need a transfusion.** "

"Come on, Ash! Clear!" Joy waited, "Still nothing! I'm not going to lose you, Ash! You are going to get better, hear me? Clear!" Finally, she was rewarded with the sound of beeping. Ash's eyes opened and he gagged on the breathing tube in his mouth. Joy removed it carefully.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice faint.

"You crashed on me. You are okay now. I'm going to give you a transfusion of blood to help replace what you've already lost." Joy explained, "I would like to have you moved to a hospital. I'm going to let your friends come in, after I get you into a gown." Joy helped Ash into the gown and got him more comfortable. She opened the door and let everyone in. "I was wondering, are any of you by per chance O negative?"

"I'm AB positive. Bonnie is too." Clemont said.

"I'm A negative. My husband, N, is O negative. He's in Alma, assisting the Rangers in their fight against Alma Tower." Lady J said, "I can call him and see if he can get here."

"Actually, I'm O negative." Bonnie cheered up a little.

"I'm B negative. Ash is OB positive." Serena explained.

"Bonnie is too young to give blood." Clemont shook his head.

"No, Clemont." Bonnie walked toward Joy, "I'm doing this, and don't you dare try to stop me!"

"And I'm saying no!" Clemont stormed, "You are too young, and too small!"

"I don't care!" Bonnie shot back, "He saved my life!"

"You still are not doing it!" Clemont hissed.

"Clemont is right. If I were to take blood from Bonnie, I would be breaking the law. I would lose my license to practice. I'm sorry, Bonnie." Joy shook her head.

Bonnie's lower lip trembled, "I hate you!" She turned and ran off.

Lady J left the room and went to the phones.

"Um, do you know why it's taking so long? I have an injured Meowstic." A girl trainer asked.

Lady J turned, "I apologize for the unusual wait. Nurse Joy is busy with a badly injured trainer at the moment. It is not looking very good right now."

"I see. I can wait. Meowstic isn't too injured. She has a small scratch on her paw." The girl said, "We can wait."

"My Hawlucha is suffering from poison, but we can wait too. I gave him a pecha berry, and he seems to have recovered." A boy said.

"If your Pokemon is seriously hurt, my Floette knows heal pulse. We will be happy to help." A woman said.

"My Lucario knows Heal Pulse too. Feel free to see him too." Lady J released her Lucario. Two lines formed before the two Pokemon.

"I have so many berries I'm drowning in them. Feel free to help yourselves." A man opened his bag and began laying out berries. Several trainers went over with their Pokemon to get some berries to heal them.

Lady J went to the phones and dialed a number. She waited. N answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello, wife." He greeted.

"Hey, husband. I've got a situation here." Lady J explained what happened, "Ash needs your blood. How soon can you get here?"

"A ranger has a Latias. I'll see if she can give me a lift. Where are you at?" N asked.

"We're at the Pokemon Center on route 19, Kalos." J answered.

"I'll see you soon." N promised.

They said their good byes and hung up. She returned to the treatment room. Nurse Joy looked worried. Serena was by Ash, and Clemont paced.

"N is on his way. I don't know how long it will take for him to get here. He's in Alma." Lady J explained.

Clemont turned white. "That's over 6000 miles away!"

"He is going to fly here on a Latias." Lady J continued.

"Latias is fast." Serena said, "Can N get here in time?"

Joy wrestled within herself. Bonnie had the blood needed, but she was too young. She suddenly brightened and ran to the treatment room door. She opened the door.

"May I have your attention for a moment? Thanks. I need someone with O negative blood to donate to a fellow trainer." Joy asked.

"I have O blood, but it's positive." A man came forward.

"The trainer is OB positive. I'm not sure if O positive is compatible with that type." Joy said, "I know that O negative is very rare in Kalos."

"Nurse Joy!" Serena cried out urgently.

Joy turned and rushed to her patient's side, "Mew!"

" **He needs the transfusion soon. He's beginning to deteriorate.** " Mew responded, " **I suggest we induce hypothermia. It will buy us time.** "

"I concur." Joy prepared the solution and rushed to Ash's side, "I'm going to give you something that will help. It will make you feel cold and sleepy. I want you to stay awake as long as you can. Mew will be asking you questions and I want you to answer them. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah." Ash responded.

Joy administered the medication while Mew hovered before Ash.

" **I'm going to ask you lots of questions. We need you to stay awake as long as you can. Some of the questions I will ask may seem silly, but answer them any way. First question. What was the first shiny Pokemon you saw?** " Mew asked.

"That was Ho-Oh. It was golden, and it flew so gracefully." Ash answered.

This went on for a while. Bonnie returned, but refused to even acknowledge Clemont. She joined Serena by Ash's bed, listening to Mew ask questions and Ash answer.

" **Where was Pikachu born?** " Mew asked.

"M-mangrove Island. H-he was a live birth." Ash was shivering and fighting to stay awake.

"Pikachu wasn't hatched?" Clemont asked.

Ash turned his head toward Clemont, "N-no."

"There are many reports of viviparous Pokemon." Joy said, "I had to help a Rapidash give birth to a Ponyta once. We know something happened millions of years ago that led to Pokemon becoming oviparous. It seems Pokemon are changing." Joy said.

Mew began flicking Ash with his tail in order to keep him awake. It was clear that Ash was struggling. He was no longer coherent, his voice garbled. The situation was turning serious rapidly. Nurse Joy moved to the phone and placed two calls. She prayed Dianthe would agree to her plan along with Wolfric. Dianthe was strict with her elite four, gym leaders, and other staff. She was by the book, and what Nurse Joy needed to do was against the book. Wolfric on the other hand chucked the book out the window and did things his own way. He would be more likely to agree. Joy took a deep breath and readied herself for the battle ahead.

Dianthe arrived with Wolfric behind her. Joy took both of them to her office.

"I have a situation." She explained what was going on.

"No, you will not take blood from an 8 year old girl." Dianthe replied at once.

"I have to agree with the Champion on this one Joy." Wolfric said.

"This kid is dying. You need to let me do this." Joy pleaded.

"No. That rule is there for a reason." Dianthe sighed, "I can't let you do this. She's just a little girl."

"I can't let him die!"

"I can't let you almost kill a little girl!"

"I'm not going to do a full transfusion!"

"I'm not allowing it!"

"As much as I love cat fights, you two need to stop. Joy, how much blood would you take?" Wolfric cut in.

"She is not taking any blood!"

"Dianthe, that is enough." Wolfric's eyes were flashing.

"I only need four pints." Joy said.

"Just four pints? That is almost too much for a child to lose, and you know it, Joy." Wolfric narrowed his eyes, "I can't allow you to proceed."

"That could kill her! You want to sacrifice a little girl to save the life of another child? Are you out of your Arceus loving mind, Joy? My answer is no, absolutely not!" Dianthe gasped.

Joy looked away, "Someone is on his way here to donate blood, but Ash can't wait any longer. Please, come with me." Joy led them to Ash's side, where Mew flicked him to get him to wake back up. "He's dying. He'll be dead within the hour. Please, let me save his life!"

"One pint." Wolfric said.

"No pints!" Dianthe hissed, "Wolfric, you better side with me or else you'll be removed from your gym and stripped of your title!"

"I'm sorry, Dianthe. He needs the blood, and one pint won't harm the girl." Wolfric said, "Look at him. What if it were one of your children?"

"Don't you dare bring Clemont and Bonnie into this!" The Champion growled, "I still wouldn't allow it!"

"Mama, please, let me do this!" Bonnie pleaded.

"Bonnie you stay out of this." Dianthe spun to face her daughter.

"You need to stop thinking like a champion for five minutes and think like a mother. Ash has a mother out there. Think about her. Try imagining having to tell her you let her son die because you wouldn't allow him to receive the treatment needed!" Bonnie directly at her mothers eyes. "You've changed, Mama. Ever since you became the Champion, you've become someone else. I don't recognize you anymore."

"Listen to your girl, Dianthe. She is right. You are not the carefree young woman I raised anymore. You've become a stranger. You must allow Joy to take that pint and try to save the boys life." Wolfric reasoned.

"For Arceus's sake! I say no!" Clemont growled.

"That's my decision, not yours!" Bonnie snapped back.

"WILL YOU ALL STOP FIGHTING FOR A MINUTE?" Serena yelled, "Ash is fading while you guys fight!"

"One pint." Dianthe said finally.

"Hello? I'm her big brother! I'm the one who should make that decision!" Clemont screamed, "I said no!"

"I'm your mother, Clemont. I'm the one deciding, not you."

Serena's next action surprised everyone. She got up and stormed over to Clemont and grabbed him by the collar of his blue and yellow jumpsuit. She dragged him over to Ash's side. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm. Clemont swallowed nervously.

"Look at him, Clemont. Do you seriously think he'll last long enough for N to get here?" Clemont didn't answer. This earned him a firm shaking from Serena. "Answer me, Clemont, or so help me Arceus, I will personally end you with my bare hands!" Clemont swallowed again.

"One pint." He whispered softly.

"I didn't hear you!" Serena growled.

"One pint!" Clemont choked out as Serena had tightened her hold on his collar.

"Thank you." Serena let him go.

"Bonnie, sit over here." Joy felt several pairs of eyes boring into her back as she collected the blood. She applied a bandage to Bonnie's arm before turning and collecting a syringe. "It will be quicker to do a direct injection." She went to work. Nobody spoke, all eyes on the monitors. For the first time in a long time, Dianthe worried. Mew flicked Ash, bringing him back to wakefulness. His amber eyes were glazed over. Joy checked the monitors, which showed no change. She prepared another injection and administered it. She had enough blood for two more injections. The monitors showed that Ash was fading rapidly. Nurse Joy gave the last two injections.

"Come on, Ash. Hang in there." Lady J urged, "Nurse Joy, would a Heal Pulse do anything for Ash?"

"I'm afraid not. Heal Pulse only affects emotion. Other healing moves don't work on humans. They affect only the Pokemon using them." Nurse Joy shook her head.

"What about Wish? There is a myth that a Pokemon used Wish to heal their badly injured trainer." Clemont said.

"There is Healing Wish." Serena added.

"Wish and Healing Wish have been used to heal injured trainers. It only happens when the Pokemon and its trainer are bonded pairs." Nurse Joy answered.

" **There is Heal Bell too.** " Mew brought up.

"Heal Bell?" Serena got excited, "My Eevee can learn that move!" She called Eevee from her poke ball. "Eevee, can you learn Heal Bell and use it to help Ash?"

"Eevee Ee Ee." Eevee answered, shaking her head.

" **She said she doesn't know the move and doesn't think she can learn it in time.** " Mew translated.

"Can you try, Eevee?" Serena asked.

Eevee looked decisive. She went to the bed and hopped up onto it where she curled up on Ash's chest. She closed her eyes. An image of her father, a Leafeon, entered her mind. He was the only parent she knew. She knew she had brothers and sisters and a mother, but they had all been killed the day Moltress came. She remembered dangling in her fathers jaws as he ran from the flames. They had crossed a river and came upon the wounded Virizion. She had watched her father focus on Virizion and had heard what sounded like a bell. In thanks, Virizion had allowed her to nurse on her. Eevee focused solely on her father in the memory. He had used Heal Bell.

Eevee began to give off a soft yellowish glow. The sound of bells ringing reached everyone's ears.

" **He is stabilizing.** " Mew reported.

"You are doing good! Keep it up, Eevee!" Bonnie encouraged.

The sound of the bells became chaotic. Eevee screamed.

" **Eevee, I'm sorry! Volt Tackle!** " Mew shrouded himself with electricity and tackled the screaming Eevee, " **Thunder Wave!** " Eevee went limp and silent. Serena scooped up her Pokemon. " **I need to check her over.** **Supersonic.** " Mews gold eyes turned blue, " **She lost control. She'll be okay. I did what I did to her to end the move. Here. Refresh. There, she is okay now.** "

"Thanks, Mew." Serena said, "How is Ash?"

" **He is stable, but he still needs to be kept awake. Eevee bought us time, but how much is anyone's guess.** " Mew explained.

"Lady J, what is the ETA on your husband?" Nurse Joy turned, only to find the young woman slumped against the wall. She rushed to her side, "Lady J?" Her answer was a groan. Lady J crumbled to the ground, arms wrapped around her stomach. Dianthe rushed to their side. "Lady J!" Joy cried out again, knowing she had a second patient. That's when Lady J vomited. Dianthe held her.

"It's okay. Get it all out." Dianthe soothed as Lady J continued to vomit into a bowl Wolfric had put before her. He recalled a similar scene almost fifteen years ago. Catching Dianthe's eye, they both had realized the same thing.

"Is she pregnant?" Wolfric asked.

Lady J shuddered through a last spasm as she sank back against Dianthe, "My stomach hurts so much…"

"J, are you pregnant?" Dianthe asked.

"I don't know. This has happened a few times already. I feel like I'm dying." Lady J answered painfully.

"Let me see." Nurse Joy did a quick examination, "Do you think you can pee on this stick for me?"

"Yeah." Lady J rose on wobbly legs and nearly collapsed again. Dianthe supported her.

"I'll take care of her." Dianthe led Lady J away. Nurse Joy and Wolfric eyed each other, the two of them already knowing what the pregnancy test would say.

"She's pregnant." Wolfric said.

"Yep." Nurse Joy nodded, "I want Ash moved to the Snowbelle Hospital."

"I'll see to that." Wolfric replied.

Dianthe returned, "She's sleeping out in the reception area, and the test is positive. She's pregnant. I'm going to go sit with her."

"You three should go get some rest too." Wolfric yawned.

"I'm staying." Serena responded.

"Bonnie and I will be out in the reception area." Cle mont said.

"Here, room 9 is open. Two bunk beds." Joy tossed him the key, "Tell Dianthe she can move Lady J there."

"I'll let her know." Clemont said.

He walked Bonnie out to the reception area. He noticed that the flying and electric type Pokemon were nervous. The electric Pokemon bristled with excess electricity while the flying types rustled wings in nervous anticipation. Clemont looked outside. It was night, but it was far darker than it should be. Clemont felt his hair react to the static electricity in the air. He knew these signs too well. Bonnie looked frightened, and Clemont knew his sister had recognized the signs too.

At that exact moment, a woman and a man rushed into the center. The woman was a ranger as evidenced by her uniform. She had long brown hair worn in a French braid. Her eyes were a very pale lavender. The man wore khakis with a tan league cap on his head. His eyes were sage green and his long pale green hair was tied back in a ponytail. He rushed to Lady J's side.

"Can someone guide me to the counter?" The ranger asked.

"Why? Its over there." Clemont pointed.

"My name is Jayla, and I'm blind." The ranger said, "My Latias is very exhausted, and she is dehydrated."

"Nurse Joy is busy with a badly injured trainer." Clemont said, "I thought the Rangers didn't allow people with disabilities in their ranks."

Jayla smiled, "I don't need vision to be a Ranger. My other senses are more than enough. There is a storm forming out there, and I have a feeling it may make the Labor Day Storm look like a weak breeze. I am going to need some help, but I think I can treat my Latias."

"My city nearly got wiped off the map. Yes, we do get tornadoes, but not ones close to five miles wide." Clemont shuddered at the memory, "Thank Arceus that Zapdos arrived when it did. Luminous City would not have made it through if it had not come. I'll help. Dianthe, you can move Lady J to room 9. Can you take Bonnie and put her to bed too?"

"Lady J?" N asked.

"She is fine. You are needed in the treatment room." Dianthe smiled, "She has some exciting news to share with you when she wakes up."

"What happened?" N asked.

"She got sick earlier. She might experience some more sickness in the morning." Dianthe couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

"She has been getting sick in the mornings lately." Everyone could see the wheels turning inside N's head, "Sometimes it lasts all day, and she says her stomach hurts. Come to think of it, her cycle is late." Realization was dawning over N, "You see this in bipedal Pokemon like Machoke or Mr. Mine, when they are… Oh." His mind made the connections at last, "My wife's pregnant!"

"That's right. I'm going to go put her in bed so she can rest."

"Is Lady J's husband here yet? I need him back here now!" Nurse Joy called out, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to treat your Pokemon yet!"

"Nurse Joy, this one needs an IV to treat her dehydration! She won't take water!" Clemont called back.

"I'm coming! I need Lady J's husband in here now!" Nurse Joy grabbed an IV and a bag of saline before rushing over to Clemont. Quickly, she set up the IV, "Give me a call as soon as this bag is empty."

N sensed the urgency and followed Nurse Joy.

The last thing Ash saw before everything faded away was N running toward him, tossing his tan jacket aside. No amount of tail flicks from Mew and shaking from Serena would get Ash to wake up.

 **Queen Sunstar: Lady J is the girl trainer choice from Pokemon Black and White. In this story, She and N are older than Ash and the others. N is 24, and Lady J is 23. They traveled with Ash in Unova in this saga, which is when they met. There will be a long story coming out soon unveiling this journey called Unova Travels. Ash is 15 here. Serena and Clemont are 14, and Bonnie is 8. I know Wolfric is spelled with a u instead of an o. I'm going with the o spelling that was used in my copy of Y version. I'm not sure if it is spelled differently in X version or other copies of the games. Also in the works is Mays Kanto Journey, in which May takes the Kanto Gym Challenge. On her way to Pallet Town, May stumbles across a badly injured female Mewtwo named Mew. She captures the Mewtwo and rushes her to Oaks Lab where she is treated for her injuries. Here, May, who had been hoping to travel with Ash learns from Delia that Ash vanished five years ago and has not been found since. Pikachu is also missing, and Delia believes Pikachu found somewhere to die. May is not traveling alone as Brock, Misty, and Gary go with her, each one desperate to find out what happened five years ago.**


	2. Chapter 2

N sat in a chair, a line leading from his arm to Ash's arm. The transfusion had started ten minutes ago, and already, color had started to return to Ash's face. He had given blood to Ash once before. That memory surged up again. N closed his eyes. He didn't want to remember, but the memories came.

 _"Ever been to an amusement park, Ash?" N asked._

 _"What is that?" Ash asked._

 _Lady J and N looked at each other._

 _"You seriously don't know what an amusement park is?" N was incredulous._

 _"No, but should I?" Ash asked._

 _"Well, it is a big park with rides, concession stands, games, Pokemon showcases, Pokemon petting zoo, and my favorite event, the Legendary meeting. That is when a Legendary comes and visits. Last year it was Zapdos. I hope this year it's Reshiram. I'm dying to see her." Lady J said._

 _"I want to see Zekrom." N said, "J, we have got to take him to the park."_

 _"We are." Lady J smiled._

 _"What about the gym? I can't find it anywhere." Ash asked._

 _"I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised." N said._

 _They went to the park together. N and Lady J both enjoyed seeing Ash's face as it lit up in wonderment. After spending the day at the park, meeting both Reshiram and Zekrom, and showing Ash where the gym was, they returned to their room at the Pokemon center. Ash barely made it to bed. He would challenge the gym leader tomorrow._

N did not want to remember the horror of what happened next. The memory came anyway.

 _Ash faced Elesa, gym leader of Nimbasa gym. They both were down to their last Pokemon. Ash looked tired. N figured it was from the excitement of the day before. Pikachu let loose a thunderbolt, scoring a hit on Tynamo that did little damage. A tremor passed through Ash's body. He suddenly collapsed. Pikachu rushed to his side. N and Lady J bolted toward him._

 _"Stay back!" Elesa ordered quickly, "I think it is Encephalitis Pyrexia!"_

 _"English please!" Lady J demanded._

 _"Brain fever!" Elesa replied, "Emolga, thanks for sounding the alarm. We have had a rise in cases, and only one person has survived."_

 _Ash's body began to seize violently, a ruby red foam pouring from his mouth. Elesa gasped, knowing she was right. Several men and women in hazmat suits rushed in. Two of them knelt by Ash while the other two checked the three trainers over. They took Ash away quickly._

N did not want the memory to continue.

 _"It is Brain Fever, also known as Encephalitis Pyrexia. The fever has already set in. You need to go in and say your good byes. There is nothing we can do for him. It's in Arceus's hooves." A doctor explained._

 _Both N and Lady J rushed into the room. Lady J rushed to Ash's side. N stayed back. Ash somehow managed to hold on. A transfusion of blood from N brought some hope. After five days, his fever began to drop. Three days later, the fever was gone. Ash woke up that night. Within a week, he had fully recovered. He went on to win against Elesa. He did suffer from headaches which were left over from the infection._

A hand on his shoulder startled him. He turned to see Nurse Joy.

"It is working." She said, "His color is returning."

"How is my wife?" N asked.

"She is fine. Pregnancy makes some women sick for a bit. Dianthe was sick through her entire pregnancy with Clemont. She never got sick while pregnant with Bonnie. Lady J will likely experience morning sickness for the first trimester. You are going to be a father." Joy smiled, "You should have seen me during my first trimester back when I was pregnant with my twins. I couldn't stop vomiting every hour. I have a son and daughter. My son is on his own Pokemon journey, and my daughter is studying to become a Nurse Joy."

"You should be excited." Serena said.

"I am excited, and also terrified out of my mind. I'm not ready for fatherhood. Zekrom and Reshiram have been mating quite a bit lately. We must have conceived six weeks ago. J told me Reshiram was in heat, and she was feeling it too. We felt their desire and well, now we are going to be parents." N responded, "I don't know if we are even ready for this."

"Could Reshiram and Zekrom become parents too?" Serena asked.

"Well, it is entirely possible they could conceive, but it has never happened before." N said.

"Their baby would have to be gray. Ash told me Kyurem was gray. Could he be their baby?" Serena asked.

"Actually, Zekrom and Reshiram came from eggs laid by Kyurem." N said, "The myth about how they split from Kyurem is not exactly true."

"Would that make them brother and sister?" Serena raised an eyebrow.

"They weren't laid by the same Kyurem. They were laid in the heart of Unova, the place called the Entralink. Long ago, some legendaries weren't classified as legendaries. There is a 500 year old painting that depicts the sky filled with Ho-Oh, Moltress, Articuno, Zapdos, Kyurem, and Lugia. On the ground below, herds of Keldo, clusters of Shaymin, and Heatran dot the landscape. I believe the painting shows life from 500 years ago." N replied.

Lady J came into the room. She staggered to N's side. He reached up and pulled her into his lap. Lady J put her head on his shoulder.

"I'm fine now. I don't think I'm the only one pregnant. I think Reshiram might be carrying eggs. Just hold me. I promise I won't vomit on you." Lady J replied, "How is Ash? The vomiting always hits at night."

"He is stable." N answered, "He is being moved to the Snowbelle Hospital tomorrow."

"It's that all over again."

"He came back from that. He'll come back from this. Due to your condition, I want you to return home to Pallet Town, Kanto. I don't like the thought of you traveling while pregnant."

"I agree. Home sounds so nice. Professor Oak will be able to help me with Reshiram. It will be nice to see Delia too." Lady J yawned.

"You need to go back to bed." N caught himself yawning.

"Not without you." Lady J smiled up at the man she loved.

Serena felt a pang of jealousy and shook it off. She enjoyed seeing how close husband and wife were. She wondered if someday she and Ash would be like that. She looked down at Ash, watching him sleep. Nurse Joy had not done much to Ash's leg, leaving Braxion's work alone. The material was very much like a cast. Pikachu jumped up onto the bed and settled in along Ash's right side. His head rested on Ash's right side. He gave a sad sigh.

"You remember that time too, right?" Lady J asked, sitting up a bit, "I forgot to give you this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of Ketchup. Pikachu's eyes lit up as he reached for it. Lady J handed it to him and Pikachu nipped open the corner of the packet and began to devour the red goodness inside, being careful not to squeeze the packet too hard.

"He is the only Pokemon I know who is obsessed with ketchup." N remarked.

"It is a first for me too." Nurse Joy said, coming over to remove the tubing now that the transfusion was done. "Make sure you eat and drink something before you go to bed."

"I will." N replied.

Outside, it began to rain, which changed to snow. It wasn't long before lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The wind shrieked across the open flatlands. Before long, an ominous spiral of wind slowly rotated downward toward land. No one realized the danger.

Inside the Pokemon Center, the lights flickered. Latias gave a worried croon. Other flying types shuddered. A Noibat screeched in terror, fighting it's trainers grip. Jayla used the sound to come to the trainers side.

"Instinct is telling it to flee." Jayla's head shot up, "TORNADO! I NEED ALL POKEMON WHO KNOW TWISTER OUTSIDE NOW! JOY, DO YOU HAVE A STORM SHELTER?"

"I do! Everyone, move!" Joy rushed into her treatment room. "Serena, help me with Ash." Quickly, they they got Ash ready to be moved. Together, they rushed with Ash to the storm shelter. There was a crackling noise, and the power went out.

Outside, Jayla directed 12 Pokemon at once. Twisters flew at the massive tornado. Jayla gritted her teeth. It was her duty to protect, and she would be damned if she let the tornado reach and damage the Pokemon center. A twister scored a direct hit, judging by the decreasing roar that sounded almost like a train. The roar faded away. Jayla knew they were far from finished. She listened. A new roar built up.

"Fire your twisters, everyone!" Jayla ordered.

She heard the calls of the Pokemon as they whipped up and sent off Twisters at the new tornado. It was far closer than the first one. She could feel the wind pulling at her. She heard a whisper, and realized she was praying. The pull grew stronger. She took a desperate gamble.

"Combine your twisters! Work together!" Jayla wondered if the Pokemon heard her. A second pull confirmed that they had. The combined twister forced the tornado to fade. A new roar rose up. "Arceus, help us!" She knew this one was a monster. Debris flew at them. A Dragonite screamed, it's wing torn up by flying glass. Behind them, the windows shattered inward. Tiles from the roof tore itself free. Another Pokemon, a Noivern, shrieked as its wings snapped back, the bones breaking. "Arceus, save us!" Jayla felt her feet sliding as the wind yanked on her body. Her feet left the ground.

"TORNADUS!" Arms grabbed and held her. She heard another combined twister scream by. Arceus had answered her prayer by sending Tornadus.

"Please, protect the Pokemon Center!" Jayla pleaded as Tornadus set her down. She quickly got herself and the Pokemon inside and down to the storm shelter.

"What happened?" Someone asked.

"The Pokemon did very well. Dragonite and Noivern are injured, but not seriously." Jayla answered, "Tornadus is here."

"I got you, buddy." Dragonite's trainer checked the injured wing, "That must sting. It is a very minor injury, and it is a common injury among winged Pokemon. You don't need stitches."

"Here, let me set those bones and get you bandaged up. You will heal up just fine." Nurse Joy tended to the Noivern before returning to Ash's side. Serena, Bonnie, N, Clemont, and Lady J were by his side too. The boy was starting to moan and twist about as the morphine wore off.

"It's okay. You are okay." Serena soothed.

"Can't you give him something?" Clemont asked, "He's in so much pain!"

"My medicines are upstairs. I've got nothing down here to use." Joy answered.

Ash coughed hard, blood splattering the pillow as N and Clemont rolled him to his side so if he vomited, he wouldn't choke on it. N noticed a darkening mark on Ash's left side. He lifted the gown and gasped in horror at what he was seeing. It was large, mottled yellows, purples, reds, blues, greens swirling together to create a spreading bruise. Joy gasped. Mew used his Supersonic.

" **Joy, it's bad. His spleen is nearly five times its normal size.** " He replied.

"I need to remove it, now, before it ruptures, causing him to bleed to death. We can't wait." Joy swallowed, "I'm not certified for this."

" **We don't have much time.** "

"I know, and I don't have my tools ether. Does someone have a knife I can borrow?" Joy asked.

"Here." N handed over his pocket knife.

"I've got bandages." A girl handed them over.

"I have a needle and thread. I know how to stitch wounds closed." A man joined Joy. "I will help you. I'm an ER nurse, and my name is Leaf."

"I can't put him under. Sleep powder can be overcome by pain. I'm going to need some of you to hold him down." Joy took a deep breath. Never in her life had she thought that she would be performing an emergency surgery in her storm shelter on a trainer, with only a pocket knife to boot. The back up generator chose that moment to quit, plunging the room into darkness. Flashlights clicked on as Pokemon who knew flash lit up. The lighting was dim, way too dim for Joy to do what needed to be done.

"Clemont, she needs more light." Serena was by Ash's head.

"My clemontic gear doesn't have a function for light, and it will take me too long to configure that function." Clemont was on Ash's left side.

"I need a flashlight." Joy took the offered flashlight and handed it to Leaf. She knew she was going to have to do the surgery without gloves too.

" **I'll guide you as best as I can with my Supersonic.** " Mew responded.

"Ash, you are not going to like this." Joy made her incision. Ash thrashed, trying to get away from the searing agony. Those holding him down redoubled their efforts. Joy swallowed, and reached into the incision, cutting through muscle and membrane to reach the spleen. Unable to move, Ash screamed incoherently. "I know, I know. Hang in there just a little longer." Joy took another deep breath. This was the hard part. She made several cuts. "Can someone find me a plastic bag or something?" Someone found a plastic bag and brought it over. Joy swallowed again, making a final cut. "Here it comes." Moving slowly and carefully, Joy lifted the spleen out of Ash's body. She put the slippery swollen mass into the bag. "Hand me the thread and the needle." Joy wished she could block out the sound of Ash's continued screams. Leaf took over, finishing up with the stitches. He took out a poke ball.

"Ivysaur, I need your help. Use sweet scent on the patient, and follow through with sleep powder. We need to knock him out." Leaf ordered.

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur did as she was told. Ash quieted down as sweet scent relaxed him and sleep powder put him to sleep. Many people let out breaths no one realized they were holding. Nurse Joy sagged against the wall, her body trembling as the adrenaline left her body. She sank to the floor and drew her knees up to her body.

" **Are you okay, Joyance?** " Mew asked, coming down to settle on her lap.

"I'm okay. What I just did is going to cost me my license." Joy answered, "If I had to, I would do it again. I just hope it is in a treatment room next time."

"After what I just saw, she should let you keep your license." Wolfric looked over at Dianthe, "Well, Champion?"

Dianthe did something very unlike her.

"Why would I strip such a brave woman of her license? Nurse Joy did what she had to do without any hesitation with what she had on hand. She went above her training to save Ash's life. Joy, your license will not be revoked." Dianthe answered.

"Who are you and what did you do with the Champion?" A trainer cried out.

"Mom, what is going on?" Clemont asked.

"You are right, Bonnie. I have changed. I'm not me anymore. I have been harsh, doing what was best for the region. I never thought how my actions affected you all. I'm going to resign as Champion." Dianthe said.

"You do what you feel is best." Wolfric nodded.

"What will you do?" Clemont asked.

"It is time I reconnect with my people. I am going to travel all over Kalos and see the people and the region. I can't do that as Champion. My choice for your new Champion is Kaito Shion. He specializes in ice Pokemon and he is a strong trainer. I feel that this move is right." Dianthe answered.

"And I'm right here. I'll be happy to be your Champion. I'm also a Pokemon performer, and it is time I leave the performance circuit." Kaito responded, "Like Dianthe said, my specialty is ice type Pokemon. My current team is Cryogonal, Glaceon, and Vanilluxe." Kaito was tall with blue hair and eyes.

The building began to shake. Bits of debris began to rain down. Everyone heard the loud roar. Bonnie yelped in terror, Talonflame wrapping his wings around her. The walls began to strain and crack from the wind. Serena wondered if they would even survive. They heard Tornadus roaring. The building groaned as the cracks grew worse.

Cryogonal, Vanilluxe, use your Ice beams to seal those cracks!" Kaito tossed two poke balls into the air, releasing the two Pokemon who quickly began to seal the cracks with ice.

While this was going on, Ash began to awaken to a sea of pain. His leg and left side seemed to be competing to see which could hurt worse. He heard a trainer ordering their Pokemon to use ice beam, and the building was shaking. His vision began to clear as sleep powder and sweet scent wore off. Serena appeared above him.

"Everything is going to be okay. I'm here. Take it easy." Serena soothed.

"I'm here too. We're in a storm shelter, riding out a bad storm." Clemont appeared next to Serena, "Bonnie is fine. She is being comforted by a Talonflame."

Nurse Joy appeared next, "You made it through surgery. We will be out of here soon. I'll be able to give you morphine soon."

"Pika-pi?" Pikachu asked in concern, sliding under Ash's right arm and resting his head on Ash's shoulder.

"Don't try to talk. Just rest." N appeared.

"Vanilluxe, get that crack, quickly, now!" Kaito called out.

"TORNADUS!" Tornadus screeched.

Everything became calm.

"I'm not hearing anything." Jayla reported, "All of you stay here. As the Ranger, it is my duty to go out first. I am blind, so I'll need someone to come with me."

"I'll go with you." Clemont offered, "I'm a gym leader."

"Come. You too, Latias." Jayla said.

As he followed the Ranger, Clemont felt his heart racing and his palms get sweaty. He knew the signs. He sighed, knowing what it meant. He was developing feelings for the blind girl. He felt his cheeks get hot. At least Bonnie hadn't tried to find him a wife this time. She would likely try to hook him up with Nurse Joy, again. They entered the reception area.

"Careful, there is glass everywhere." Clemont wished he would stop blushing and grinning like an idiot.

"How does the building look?" Jayla asked, "You are blushing."

"How can you tell?" Clemont blurted out.

"I can feel the heat you are giving off." Jayla responded, "Go on, say it."

Clemont felt his tongue tie up. "I think I like you."

"I think I like you too. Come here a moment. This is how I see." Jayla smiled, knowing she was blushing too. Clemont came over, and Jayla felt out his face, "A deaf person uses their hands to talk, and a blind person uses their hands to see. I was born blind. Latias has been with me since I was little. What do you see?"

"The windows were blown in. The furniture has been blown about, some of it destroyed. There is damage to the walls and floor. The treatment room is unscathed." Clemont described what he saw.

" **Tornadus, thank you for protecting us. I'm glad you came.** " Latias was outside talking to her fellow legendary.

" **I hate seeing storms putting humans in danger. I made a promise to my dying trainer long ago that I would protect people.** " Tornadus looked around, " **I did the best I could.** "

" **You did well, my friend. How did your trainer die?** "

" **She was 12 years old when she found and nursed me back to health. I decided to stay with her and she helped me get stronger. I loved being her Pokemon. She grew up, married, had children, and grew old. She was 97 years old when she died. I held her like I used to when she was young and she passed in my arms. Her final wish was that I protect people from storms, and it is a wish I am happy to honor.** " Tornadus explained.

" **It is good of you to honor her like that. Thanks to you, everyone is safe.** " Latias replied, " **Sure there is damage, but if you had not come, it would be a lot worse than it is. Are you going to stay and help with rebuilding?** "

" **I always do. I may have to leave early to fight a storm in the Badlands. Right now, it looks like it might be rain only.** " Tornadus rose to check the roof on the Pokemon center, " **The roof is in rough shape. I'll see to it that it gets fixed.** "

Inside the Pokemon Center, clean up had begun. Ash had been moved back into the treatment room and was asleep due to having received another dose of morphine. Serena stayed by his side, her hand holding his. Eevee was laying beside Pikachu. She knew the electric mouse was worried about his trainer. She was worried too. Bunnelby had told her what had happened. Eevee didn't blame Bonnie for what happened. She knew the little girl felt bad about what happened. Bonnie was currently asleep against Talonflame, who had covered her with a wing. Eevee looked over at Pikachu, and felt her heart flutter. Why did this happen whenever she looked at Pikachu? It didn't happen when she looked at Bunnelby or any of the other male Pokemon. What was different about Pikachu? Eevee knew her trainer had feelings for Pikachu's trainer. Maybe it was because of that that she saw Pikachu differently? She was confused. Maybe she should talk to someone about this. Chespin would never understand. Hawlucha? She was pretty sure the fighting type was in love with Frogadier. Frogadier? No, he was still clueless about Hawlucha, and Eevee wondered which way Frogadier leaned. Noibat was too young. Luxray? No, Luxray wouldn't understand ether. Pancham was a no go too as he was always trying to take down Chespin. Braxion? No, she wasn't completely comfortable around the fire type due to what had happened during her cub hood. Braxion understood, and let her be. That left Dendenne. She sighed. Dendenne often acted like the group therapist. He would understand her problem. That was for later. Right now, Ash and Pikachu needed her.

 **Queen Sunstar: Bold is Pokemon speech. Mew uses Telepathy to communicate. He works with Nurse Joy as a nurse because she saved his life shortly after she lost her partner, Wigglypuff, to kidney failure. Mew has worked with her ever since, and is quite skilled as a nurse. His moves are Supersonic, Volt Tackle, Thunder Wave, Refresh, and Psychic. Jayla is one of my OCs. She is a blind Ranger from Alma, which I know is spelled wrong. She and Clemont make such a cute couple. Latias is her seeing eye and partner Pokemon. Next chapter, Ash is moved to the Snowbelle Hospital. Kaito Shion is the same Kaito of the Vocaloids. This is the only chapter he'll be in, so this story is not really a crossover. None of the other Vocaloids will appear. If Kaito were a Pokemon trainer, he would totally have a Vanilluxe.**


	3. Chapter 3

_The cliff vanished under her. Looking up, she saw Clemont grab Serena, who grabbed Ash. She reached up to try to grab Ash's hand, but missed. She was falling. This was it. She was going to die. Wait, why was Ash falling toward her? Did Serena lose her grip on him? Tan arms pulled her in close, and she felt him rotating so his back was facing the ground. The landing was still rough. She heard the sickening crunch of bone and the sound of Ash wheezing as the air was knocked from his lungs. He was still holding onto her. Bonnie waited for pain that never came. She was unhurt. Clemont and Serena were climbing down the cliff toward them. Carefully, she moved off of Ash, who finally managed to take in a gulp of air. Bonnie saw blood pouring from his leg, and bone sticking up through the wounds. She screamed in horror, and broke down in tears. He was hurt, and it was her fault. Ash didn't seem to be aware of anything. Clemont and Serena reached them. Clemont dropped next to Ash and began examining Ash's leg. It was clear he was more worried about what injuries he couldn't see. Bonnie stood by helplessly. Bunnelby ran to Serena than Ash, and bounced in place excitedly._

Bonnie bolted awake gasping. She took deep breaths. A warm wing pulled her close, and she buried her face into Talonflame's side, crying again. The fire bird cooed softly as he comforted the little girl. She needed him more than his trainer did at the moment.

"Talonflame, it's my fault!" Bonnie choked out, "Why couldn't I grab his hand? Why?"

" **It is not your fault, little one. It is just an accident.** " Talonflame wished he could speak like Mew could. Mew was moving from Pokémon to Pokémon in the room. Talonflame waved him over. " **I need you to translate for me.** "

" **Of course.** " Mew nodded.

"He should hate me!" Bonnie cried out.

" **Ash won't hate you. I am sure he doesn't blame you for what happened. He saved your life. You have already saved his by giving a pint of your blood. Cheer up. No more crying, okay? As Ash heals, he is going to need help with walking and you are just the right size to be his crunch. Mew, why don't we take her back to the treatment room so she can see him?** " Mew translated for Talonflame, and nodded in agreement.

Bonnie stood, and was guided by the two Pokémon into the treatment room. As she passed by Clemont, she noticed that he was talking with the ranger, and he was blushing slightly. Bonnie gave a small smile, knowing her brother had found someone. She entered the treatment room.

"Serena, you need to go get some rest." Ash was awake, and clearly fed up with Serena's stubbornness. "All I'm going to do is sleep. I don't need an audience for that."

"But what if you need something?" Serena knew she was tired.

"I've got Pikachu, Mew, and Nurse Joy. I'll be fine. Go to bed and sleep." Ash ordered.

Mew cut in before Serena could object, " **You won't be helping anyone by being passed out. There is a cot in Nurse Joy's office. Go use it.** "

"But-"

"Serena, for the love of Arceus, please go get some sleep." Ash interrupted, "For me? I don't want to have to worry about you."

Serena's mouth opened and closed. "Fine, but only for you." She very reluctantly left the treatment room. Mew followed, making sure she went to bed.

Bonnie hung back. Pikachu hopped off the bed and went to her, giving her a gentle nudge. Bonnie finally walked over to Ash's side. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"I'm probably the last person you want to see." She broke the silence.

"Why?" Ash asked.

Bonnie looked at him, "Because I'm the reason why you got hurt! If only I had grabbed your hand, you wouldn't have broken your leg! You wouldn't have had to go through the pain of being operated on without being put under! I'm a danger to everyone!"

"Come here." Ash held open his arms.

Bonnie found herself being held, and began to cry again. Ash only held her, letting her cry herself out. He knew Bonnie was blaming herself for what had happened, and likely felt that he blamed her too. He did not blame her for anything. What happened was in the past. There was no point upon dwelling on it. It was only for a short while that he would be down. Bonnie's cries petered out to the occasional sniffle.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You don't need to be sorry. Bonnie, look at me. Bones heal. My side will heal. Lost lives are gone forever. It is better that it was me over you. You would never have survived the fall if I had not acted. I would never be able to live with myself if I had let you fall, especially when I could have saved you. Sure, I busted up my leg pretty good, but it'll heal. This isn't the first time I've broken bones. Have I by per chance told you how I competed in the Unova league with my left wrist in a cast?" Ash asked. Bonnie shook her head no. "It was N's fault."

"For the last time, it was not my fault!" N said, walking into the treatment room, "Your Pikachu's attack hit the tree, not Zekrom's."

"That wasn't a thunderbolt." Ash retorted.

"It was too a thunderbolt, and you can't pin it on Zekrom! He doesn't know thunderbolt!"

"It didn't come from Pikachu. His thunderbolts are bright yellow, not tinged in blue."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I? Well, since it was his throwing arm, I had to step in and throw the poke balls for him. We did well; I mean he did well, finishing fourth in a field of 90."

"I would have won that match if somebody hadn't accidentally tossed their own poke ball, making me have to use Zekrom."

"You did do well with Zekrom, taking out three of the other trainer's Pokémon ."

"I had to improvise."

Bonnie was laughing as she watched the two friends playfully bicker, the reaction the two were going for. She was starting to feel better over what happened. Now, she needed to forgive herself, but that would happen over time. Nurse Joy came in with a smile.

"Ash, I've got good news. The Snowbelle Hospital has sent their helicopter to come get you. It will arrive in the morning around six. I want you to get some rest. You are also due for your next dose of morphine." She gave him the dose.

"I've heard horror stories about people on morphine. Other than a decrease of pain, I haven't experienced any of the side effects." Ash said.

"I have not been giving you very much, and some people don't react." Joy said.

"I'll make sure Bonnie gets to bed. You sleep." N left with Bonnie.

Six AM came too fast. They were woken by Nurse Joy. Outside, a blue and white helicopter bearing a red cross landed neatly. Two people got out and pulled out a stretcher. They went to the treatment room while Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena waited.

"You'll need to put your Pikachu into its poke ball. It is the rules, and no exceptions." One of the paramedics replied.

"Pikachu, I know you hate your poke ball, but you have to use it. You'll only be in it for a short while." Ash reached for his jacket and pulled out Pikachu's poke ball. To everyone's surprise, Pikachu went in without a fuss. "Well, that's a first."

The paramedics moved Ash onto the stretcher. Ash winced as his side and leg reminded him they were hurt. He was wheeled outside and loaded up onto the helicopter. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie climbed on next. The helicopter lifted off.

"I'm Citron and my partner is Teddy. I need to remove the hardened frubble, and I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt." Citron pulled out a scalpel, drill, and pliers. He started with Ash's upper leg first, drilling into the hard material. Using pliers, he worked into the leg, lifting the hardened frubble until he was able to pry it off. Ash couldn't help but scream. Everyone winced. The piece on his lower leg came off easier, but it still hurt. Citron took the scalpel and used it to slice through the attached skin.

"That was done by Braxion and Frogadier." Serena said.

"Smart thinking." Teddy said, "We are over Snowbelle. We will be landing very soon. Citron will take you to the waiting area."

The helicopter landed neatly on the roof of the hospital. They were taken in quickly. Ash was taken to the ER while Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena were taken to the waiting area. It wasn't long before a doctor came to speak to them.

"Ash will need surgery on his leg, and he is being prepped for surgery right now. This one is to repair the damage to his side. Nurse Joy did a good job removing his spleen. Tomorrow morning, we will do surgery on his leg. He'll likely have a permanent limp, but he'll be fine. It will be about an hour before you can see him." He smiled, "I'm Dr. Carter, and Ash is in my care."

"See, Bonnie? He'll be fine." Clemont said.

"I'm glad. I just wish he didn't get hurt." Bonnie said, "Where is Pikachu?"

"Oh nuts! I forgot to release him from his poke ball!" Serena quickly released Pikachu, who promptly snubbed her. He refused to look at her. "Pikachu, I'm sorry. Will a poke puff make it okay?" Pikachu thought, and finally turned around. "I'll add in a packet of ketchup too." Serena held out the poke puff. Pikachu sniffed it and took it from her. He gave her the dirtiest look he could give before digging into the poke puff.

30 minutes passed. Dr. Carter returned.

"Everything went well. We are giving him another transfusion as he was bleeding again. Joy is one brave woman. I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to do what she did. I'm very impressed with her. The work she did was done very professionally.

We didn't need to do much. Early tomorrow morning, we will repair his leg. I applaud your quick thinking using Braxion and Frogadier to stabilize the leg." Dr. Carter said, "We are going to put him in the ICU for a few days to make sure the bleeding stays under control. He is in room 4, which is down the hall by the elevators on the right. He'll be asleep so don't wake him."

"We won't." Clemont turned to Bonnie, "Remember, stay quiet, and that goes for you two too, Dendenne and Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Denne!" Dendenne added.

"Good. If ether of you are loud, you are going to be put in your poke ball. Did I make myself clear?" Clemont asked.

Dendenne smirked at Pikachu, "Dendenne?"

Pikachu growled at him and raised a paw. Clemont cleared his throat and Pikachu thought better of striking Dendenne. He did snap his jaws at Dendenne, making sure Dendenne saw his fangs. Clemont sighed.

"Pikachu, I know you are worried about Ash. Please don't take it out on Dendenne, okay? If you act up, I'll put you in your poke ball and make you stay in it until Ash is released from the hospital. That goes for you too, Dendenne." Clemont responded.

Both Pokémon looked at each other. They both decided to behave themselves. Together they went to Ash's room. Ash was asleep. He looked pale and tiny in the big bed. He had an IV in his arm and a drain in his side. The chest tube had been removed. IED leads led from his chest to a heart monitor. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. He was breathing a little laboriously. Everyone found seats and sat down. Serena pulled her chair over to Ash's bedside. She took his cold and clammy hand into her own.

"Is it me, or does he look worse?" Clemont asked.

"He just had surgery. No one looks good after surgery." Bonnie pointed out, "You are right. He does look worse."

"He'll be okay." Serena said more to herself, "He has to be okay."

Dendenne suddenly squealed. Pikachu had his tail in his mouth. His eyes were narrowed in anger. Dendenne twisted around and clawed him in the face, forcing him to let go of Dendenne's tail. They lunged at each other, teeth and claws meeting flesh and fur. Growls and snarls rang out among hissing screams. Bonnie and Clemont both

lunged, each grabbing and pulling the Pokémon apart. Pikachu snaked his head out and bit down on Dendenne's ear.

"Pikachu! That is enough!" Serena rose, "You'll wake Ash, and I'll be very angry with you both!"

Pikachu hissed, refusing to let go of Dendenne's ear. His cheeks sparked dangerously. Clemont and Bonnie both braced themselves for the shock they knew was coming.

"What on earth is going on here?" Dr. Carter ran into the room.

"Pokémon fight!" Clemont managed to pry open Pikachu's mouth, "I'm a gym leader and I've got this covered!"

Bonnie carried the hissing Dendenne away from the snarling Pikachu, "We both have seen this before. Pikachu is in a mood. One of our female Pokémon might be in heat."

"You sure? It looked more like a territorial spat. I've seen this with Rhyhorn from time to time." Serena said.

"I have heard that some Pokémon get possessive of their trainers when their trainer is sick or injured." Dr. Carter said.

"I've heard that too. Pikachu is probably pretty stressed out over Ash and felt that Dendenne was too close to Ash." Serena said, "My mom's Fletchling did that after mom got stomped on by Rhyhorn. I had to recall her to her poke ball because she wouldn't let anyone get to my mom."

Pikachu squirmed in Clemont's arms, but the electric type gym leader only tightened his grip. Dendenne was snarling at Pikachu, but remained still in Bonnie's arms. Both of their cheek pouches flickered with electricity. A thunderbolt and a nuzzle met and exploded. Bonnie yelped while Clemont only groaned. Serena sighed, thankful that Ash was still asleep.

"That nuzzle was a little stronger than I braced for." Bonnie and Clemont both had grown up around electric Pokémon and were both used to getting shocked.

"That stung. I'm okay. I've been broadsided by Magneton's thunderbolts so many times that getting hit barely hurts." Clemont said, "Pikachu, you are in so much trouble. Wait until Ash hears about your behavior."

"Wait until I hear what?"

Clemont dropped Pikachu onto the bed, "Will you control him? He went after Dendenne earlier."

"Pikachu, come here, now." Pikachu froze. He knew he was in big trouble. Ever so slowly, he moved up the bed toward Ash. "A little faster please." Pikachu heaved a sigh and moved a little faster until he was on Ash's lap. "Eyes on me, please." Pikachu flattened his ears as he looked up at his Trainers tired amber orbs. Ash only waited. Pikachu lifted his ears up. "So, you went after Dendenne?" Pikachu's response was a low growl as he looked at Dendenne. "You stop that." Ash gave Pikachu's nose a very light tap with his index finger. Pikachu's ears dropped. His eyes got large as he stared at his trainer. Being tapped on the nose hurt far worse than any beating he'd received in battle. He knew his Pika-Pi was disappointed in him. Slowly, he lowered his head to lie down in his customary spot. "That's better."

"Dendenne, I know you provoked Pikachu." Clemont waited. Dendenne finally pulled out the empty ketchup packet and held it up guiltily. "Well that explains it. You got between Pikachu and ketchup. You don't even like ketchup." Dendenne pretended to eat the packet. "You thought Pikachu was going to eat the packet so you took it away from him." Clemont waited. Dendenne nodded. "So that is what happened."

"Dendenne, tell me next time, okay?" Bonnie asked.

Dendenne nodded.

"Ash, you should go back to sleep. I'm sorry Pikachu and Dendenne woke you." Serena resumed her seat.

"I want to check you over first. I'm Dr. Carter, your doctor." Dr. Carter introduced himself. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Ash responded, "I'm not in any pain right now."

Dr. Carter did a quick examination, "I'm ordering a course of wide spectrum antibiotics to guard against infection." He left and a nurse came in with the medication, which Ash took. He didn't stay awake much longer.

"We should contact his mother." Clemont said.

"The hospital is taking care of that." Serena responded.

Dr. Carter entered the room, "We are having trouble reaching Delia Ketchum. We have reached Satoshi Ketchum, his father, who is on his way here. We also reached his uncle, Giovanni Ketchum, who said he'll contact Delia."

"Do you know who Satoshi Ketchum is?" Clemont asked excitedly.

"You don't mean the Champion of Kanto, right?" Serena asked.

"He is the Champion of Kanto, one of the strongest trainers around! When trainers collect all the badges from both Johto and Kanto, you face both him and Lance in the championship battle! Only two trainers have managed to win against them! One was the prodigy Red, and the other was a Johto trainer named Jodye. Her win is contested. Some say her Typlosion fainted first while others say Satoshi's Charizard fainted first." Clemont hyped.

"I say her Typlosion fainted first." Bonnie said.

"I saw that battle, and I side with Bonnie." Serena added.

It would be much faster if he traveled as Arceus, which is what he was currently doing. His mind was filled with images of his son, mangled and bloody, burned beyond recognition, crushed by rocks, drowning, in analeptic shock, poisoned, so sick he was comatose, and many other horrible fates. He streaked across the sky, breaking the sound barrier over Hoen. Arceus was very worried. He slowed way down as he passed over the curving lip of Unova where it met the Great Ocean and followed the border south toward Sinoh. Even though it galled him to do so, he made himself slow down further in order to let enough time pass so no one would get suspicious of his fast arrival.

Arceus let six hours bleed by before turning north and passing over Unova and entering Kalos. Landing outside of Snowbelle and quickly shifting back to his human form behind a convenient copse of trees, he entered Snowbelle. Satoshi took a deep breath and entered the hospital.

Ash was still asleep from the medications he was being given. Serena had not left his side. Clemont and Bonnie had gone to the cafeteria for lunch, and Clemont had told Serena he would bring back something for her. He felt that it would be better for Ash that she stays.

"I'm beginning to miss you." Serena said, "You are never this still. At least you aren't in pain right now."

Hearing the door open, Serena turned. A tan man with dark hair and worried amber eyes quietly closed the door behind him. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a short sleeved black t-shirt under a light blue jacket. A belt holding six poke balls hugged his waist. He held his red and white indigo league hat in his hands. It took a moment for Serena to realize who the visitor was.

"Ash." The man moved toward the bed, "It is okay. I'm here now."

Ash opened his eyes, tired amber eyes meeting worried amber eyes. "Dad? Weren't you in Kanto?"

"I was. I rushed here as soon as I got the call from the hospital." Satoshi responded.

"How did you get here so fast? It is a 15 hour flight by plane from Kanto to Kalos." Serena pointed out.

"Well, after I got the call about Ash, I rushed to the hangar on the Plateau, but my plane was out of service, and the next plane going to Kalos leaves at 9:45 PM. I was outside lamenting fate when I had the encounter of a lifetime. Arceus, the forefather himself, appeared before me. His leg was tangled in a poacher trap. I carefully freed his leg and treated the injury. Arceus thanked me, and said that he would grant me one wish in thanks. I wished I was by Ash's side. Arceus knelt and told me to climb on. He would carry me to Kalos himself. He is quite fast." Satoshi hated having to lie, but this one was believable. It would not do at all to tell the truth. Who would believe he was Arceus?

"You got to see Arceus?" Ash came more awake, "You got to ride on him too?"

Satoshi mentally thanked his son.

"Ash, remember Hoopla? We saw Arceus then too!" Serena recalled, "He helped hold the destructive darkness back so you could get Hoopla through the ring."

Satoshi also remembered that time too. He had come to deal with Hoopla himself, but Ash had beaten him to it. He still helped hold back the darkness, and secretly weakened the spell in the ring which let Hoopla through.

"I saw him before in Sinoh." Ash said, "He attacked a settlement. The creation trio fought him, but he overpowered them. Dialgia sent me, Brock, and Dawn to the past. We corrected a mistake, soothing his rage."

Satoshi remembered that too. He'd been so angry. He recalled the past. He'd saved his creations from an incoming meteor, but had been severely injured. A man found one of his plates and brought it to him. He had called his 18 plates together, healing himself. The man had worried about his village starving over winter, so in thanks, Arceus renewed the land. When he returned for the plates he used, he was attacked. He remembered being close to death, and had given up. Ash had climbed down to him and asked for a miracle. Arceus had felt a familiarity with the boy, almost fatherly. He remembered thinking that he would try for his son. This had led to him becoming human, and meeting Delia with whom he fallen in love with. Four years after marrying, they were blessed with Ash. Arceus had realized upon holding his newborn son that this was the boy who had come to him and asked for a miracle.

"When I heard about what he had done, I was so proud of him. I would like a few minutes alone with him." Satoshi requested. Serena nodded and stepped outside. "Thanks for the save, Ash."

"You are welcome. You didn't need to come all the way out here. I'm fine, really. It is just a broken leg plus a ruptured spleen from a bad fall." Ash said.

"Yes, I did need to come out here. I am your father, and it is my job to worry about you. I am going to stay and help you recover."

"Is this about you being absent most of my childhood?"

"No, it is not. You know that I have duties beside my duties as Champion. I am being a parent, and a parent takes care of their child, even when said child is being stubborn."

"Mom's coming, isn't she?"

"Knowing how much Delia hates flying, you'll probably get a video chat from her and Giovanni."

"Giovanni actually cares?"

"He may not show it, but yes, he does."

Father and son shared a laugh.

Serena had decided to visit the indoor garden and let the Pokémon out for some exercise. She sat on a bench, Pikachu on her lap. Hawlucha and Frogadier play fought while Flechinder and Noibat played among the trees. Eevee had vanished with Dendenne. Bunnelby scampered about around Luxray's legs while Chespin and Pancham had a mock battle. Braxion was watching the mock battle. Serena knew Braxion would make sure the two Pokémon didn't hurt each other.

Her mind wandered over to Ash. She knew she was in love with the Kanto trainer. Why was it so hard to reveal her feelings to Ash? She closed her eyes. She knew she wanted to confess to Ash. She had to know how he felt about her. Did he feel the same?

" **Dendenne, I have a problem.** " Eevee explained her problem to the electric fairy mouse.

" **That sounds like love. You are in love with Pikachu. Your trainer has feelings for Pikachu's trainer. When two trainers love each other, it is natural for their Pokémon to fall in love with each other.** " Dendenne explained.

" **What do I do about these feelings? This is all so new for me. I've never been in love before, and my father never really talked about being in love with my mother.** " Eevee asked.

" **Well, you can ignore your feelings or you can confess to Pikachu how you feel. I bet Pikachu will feel the same about you.** " Dendenne encouraged.

" **I will, eventually.** " Eevee nodded.

"Alright, time to go in!" Serena called.

The Pokémon ran to the trainer who caught them all into their poke balls. Serena turned and walked back into the hospital and headed toward Ash's room.

"Code blue, ICU room 4, code blue, ICU room 4." The intercom was calling, the voice calm.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cried out.

Fear drove Serena into a dead run. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Queen Sunstar: I made a small change to the story. I removed Kyle, and Dianthe is the mother of Clemont and Bonnie. I felt this change worked better with this story, and it gave me a way to develop Dianthe and Clemont a bit more.**

Serena knew what code blue met. Fear gave speed to her legs. She rushed around the corner. Clemont was crying, while Bonnie stared brokenly at the room. Inside, Serena saw an Electrode giving Ash a thunder shock. Pikachu darted into the room. Ash jerked with the shock. Doctors surged back over their patient to continue their efforts.

"Come on, Ash, open your eyes!" Satoshi pleaded, tears streaming down his face, "I can't lose you!"

Serena darted into the room and ran to Ash's side.

"Don't do this to us! Don't let all that training go to waste!" She ignored her tears, "You come back right now, Ash!"

"He's back in v-fib. Does your family have a history of heart problems, clots, anything like that?" Dr. Carter asked.

"His mothers side has a history of blood clots. My side has a history of nothing." Satoshi answered.

"I think he has a pulmonary embolism. If I give him the Tpa, it will cause him to bleed badly. Without it, he will not survive. It's your call, Satoshi." Dr. Carter waited, "We can control bleeding."

"Do it." Satoshi didn't hesitate.

Dr. Carter prepared the medication and administered it. "Electrode, charge up a thunder shock, 300 joules."

"Electrode!" Electrode began to charge up a thunder shock.

"Hold compressions." Dr. Carter ordered, "Electrode, go."

Ash jerked with the shock. Everyone waited, breaths held. They were rewarded at last with a steady beeping sound. Everyone let out the breaths they were holding. That's when Ash started bleeding from his side and leg. Quickly, the team went back to work.

"I'm ordering tests to find out more of what is going on." Dr. Carter decided, "I would like to send him to the Kalos Regional Hospital in Luminous City, but due to the weather, we can't get a helicopter out."

While Dr. Carter talked to Satoshi, Pikachu spoke with Electrode.

" **What happened? He was fine when I left him!** " Pikachu asked.

" **Your trainer had a pulmonary embolism. That is a clot in the main artery leading to his lungs. It is very important that we find out where the clot came from. Right now, everything is fine.** " Electrode explained, " **Because he has been immobile for almost two days, he likely developed Deep Vein Thrombosis, which is a clot in the leg. A part of that clot broke off and blocked off the artery.** "

" **Can that happen to a fifteen year old boy?** " Pikachu asked.

" **Sickness doesn't discriminate. Since he has a family history of blood clots, what I described is our most likely scenario.** " Electrode answered.

"I'll need you to go wait in the waiting area for a bit. I am going to take Ash for further testing. This can take a while." Dr. Carter said, "I may need to take him to an OR to get that bleeding under control."

"I wish they would tell us something already." Bonnie grumbled.

"Pika." Pikachu agreed.

Everyone was in the waiting room, and almost four hours had passed.

"No news is good news, remember?" Clemont replied, "I never want to go through that again. He was fine one minute and not fine the next minute. He was sitting up, than his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went into convulsions."

"The heart monitor flatlined." Bonnie continued, "It happened so fast."

Serena stared down the door. Eevee was beside Pikachu, who was looking stressed. She put her paw on his paw, blushed, but kept her paw where it was. She knew she was trembling. Satoshi alternated between pacing and sitting. It was clear that he too was stressed out and worried. He had already called Delia and updated her on Ash's condition. The wait would be a long one.

Far away in Pallet Town, Kanto, Lady J landed. She had alternated riding her flying Pokemon so they could rest between jaunts. She had taken a plane to Johto and flew from there. Now, she slid neatly off of Talonflame's back. She stretched out cramped muscles from the flight as she recalled her fire bird back to his poke ball. She headed first to the lab.

"Jayasuria! It is good to see you!" Professor Oak hugged her.

"Number one, it's Lady J. Number two, I've got something that is a once a lifetime opportunity for you." Lady J returned the hug, "Reshiram and Zekrom have been observed mating quite a bit lately." Oak began to look excited as the implications of what Lady J was saying sunk in. "I have a suspicion that she might be with egg. If she is, she won't be the only new mom. N and I are going to be parents in seven months."

"Hey!" Tracy entered the main room of the lab, "Um, Lady J, right? Did I hear the words Reshiram and egg?" Oaks expression said it all. "Do you know what this means? This is huge! A legendary Pokemon reproducing is extremely rare, and WE'RE GOING TO GET TO SEE IT!"

"She may not be with egg. If she is with egg, she won't be the only new mother. I'm pregnant." Lady J said.

"Find me the kit." Oak finally found his voice. Tracy took off and returned with the kit. Everybody stepped outside. Lady J brought Reshiram out of her poke ball.

"Hello, Reshiram." Tracy rubbed Reshiram's flank. The white fire dragon lowered her head for a scratch. She quietly held still while Oak drew some blood. "May I see your tummy?" Reshiram complied by laying down, "This might feel cold." Tracy ran the ultrasound wand over Reshiram's stomach. "That's not an egg."

"GARY!" Oak screamed.

Gary came running, "What is it?"

"Tell me I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing!" Oak pointed at the screen.

"Oh my Arceus! Is that a baby Reshiram?" Gary asked, "She's carrying live young! This is huge! No, it's bigger than huge! She's viviparous!"

"This is a first! We are in uncharted territory! How long will she carry the baby? How will she deliver? Is it healthy? Is it growing normally? What is the normal baseline for something like- Ow! Thank you, I needed that." Oak rubbed his sore cheek, courtesy of a slap from Gary.

"Calm down, gramps! You are going to give yourself a massive coronary!" Gary said , "We are going to have to get creative here. Being that Reshiram is a dragon type, our best bet is to look into various dragon types and see what their reproductive stats are."

"Tracy, bring up everything known about dragon type reproduction." Oak ordered.

"On it!" Tracy turned to run toward the Lab, "Mrs. Ketchum! What is wrong?"

Delia had left her home and come across the road toward them. She was in tears. Oak knew at once that something was wrong. He bolted to the red haired woman's side, worry and fear written across his face. He wasn't the only one as everyone else followed.

"Oh Arceus." Lady J paled.

"Delia, what is wrong?" Oak asked again, a horrible feeling in his stomach.

"Satoshi called with an update." Delia choked out, unable to say anymore due to crying.

"Allow me. A few days ago, I was in Kalos. I was riding on Reshiram in order to exercise her when I saw Ash and his friends running from a clan of Toxicroak. They reached a cliff and ended up falling. Clemont managed to use his apom arm to grab a branch. He grabbed Serena who grabbed Ash. Ash tried to grab Bonnie but missed. I urged Reshiram to dive but we both knew we would not reach them in time. Ash looked up at Serena and let go of her hand. As he fell, he grabbed and pulled Bonnie into his body, turning so he took the impact with the ground. I got there a few minutes later. Ash's leg was a complete mess." Lady J explained everything she knew, "Last I heard, he was airlifted from the Pokemon Center to the Snowbelle Hospital for further treatment."

"Wow, what a brave woman." Tracy's eyes were wide, "Nurse Joy is amazing."

"That took a lot of guts to remove a spleen using nothing but a pocket knife and doing it by flashlight while tornadoes tear through the area." Oak said, "That makes what I did to save that kid during my summer camp seem so small."

"Um, I was the kid you saved, remember?" Lady J smiled, "Since then, I make sure to keep an Epi-pen with me at all times. I'm allergic to Beedril stings. Professor Oak performed an emergency tracheotomy on me using a pen knife and a straw."

"Think you can talk now?" Tracy asked Delia.

"Ash is in the hospital! He had a pulmonary embolism! Satoshi hasn't called back yet! I need to get to my sons side!" Delia clung to Professor Oaks side.

"You can't. Kalos's Champion has just grounded all planes and Pokemon. There is a huge storm system forming. Reports are coming in that Tornadus has been sighted, and Zapdos was seen leaving the Orange Islands." Gary reported, "Our only option is to wait."

"Than let's wait in my place." Oak led everyone into the lab. He turned on the TV. Breaking News bulletins flashed from all channels. "What in the name of Arceus?"

on screen, clips showed many Pokemon fleeing away from Kalos. A clip showed stacking black clouds beginning to swirl. Trees lay flat against the ground as the sound of screaming wind came from the TV.

"What is happening?" Tracy asked.

"I…" Oak knew everyone was waiting for an answer. "I…"

"Reshiram?" Lady J went to a window.

" **They've been ordered to flee. Tornadus has issued a call. All legendaries must respond. It is our sacred duty to protect. Even I must go. Mewtwo is going to teleport us there. I will be back soon.** " Reshiram responded.

"Do you know what is happening?"

" **It is a very bad storm system. We legendaries can't stop it, but we can lessen the damage it will cause and make sure everyone stays safe. It is why Arceus gave us life.** " Reshiram explained.

"Reshiram says it's a storm. She and the other Legendaries are heading out to deal with it. The Pokemon were ordered to flee." Lady J explained, "Reshiram is responding to the call."

"I'm tired of waiting!" Bonnie grumbled.

Dr. Carter came to them. He looked like he had worked hard, his scrubs splattered with blood. His posture was slumped, and he looked exhausted.

"We got the bleeding under control. Ash lost nearly two thirds of his total blood volume. He is undergoing a transfusion right now. His lung collapsed again, and it looks pretty bruised. It also has been bleeding, and it looks like he may lose the lung. You can live just fine with one lung. We have to postpone his leg surgery until we replace what he lost. He is back in his room, and he is under heavy sedation right now. Family only." Dr. Carter updated.

"Them too." Satoshi nodded.

"I'll add them to the list." Dr. Carter left.

Everyone returned to Ash's room. Inside, an Audino was keeping an eye on Ash. They all found seats. Satoshi watched his son. Ash was quiet and still, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. He looked paler than before. A second IV allowed blood to drip into his body. His face was flushed.

"I should have been around more." Satoshi broke his silence.

"It can't be easy balancing being a husband and father with being the champion. I don't know how Dianthe manages to be a mom on top of being the champion." Serena said.

"We are lucky when she actually does come home." Clemont said.

"I barely know her." Bonnie added.

"What do you two mean?" Serena asked.

"She's our mother." Clemont sighed, "I sometimes wonder if she remembers she has us."

"Being the champion, you have to balance the regional budget, run court, handle spats between powerful Pokemon, battle trainers, not to mention planning events and maintaining peace with surrounding regions. It is not an easy job. You can pretty much forget having a personal life." Satoshi said. ' _Plus your duties as Arceus._ ' He added mentally.

"I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Mama were around more." Bonnie replied, "I understand why she is away a lot. She has an entire region to care for. I wish I could know her better."

"And you will." Dianthe entered the room, "I've neglected you two. I was thinking and I realized a sad truth. I barely know my own children. How can I get to know my region if I can't connect with my children? I need to start at home. It is time I was a mother. Clemont, have you been growing on me again? Your uniform is looking a little small."

"Dianthe." Satoshi stood.

"Oh, you are alive." Dianthe smiled, "I was beginning to wonder where you had vanished to."

"I vanished inside my office under a pile of budget reports. Don't you just love tax season?" Satoshi gave a small smile in return.

"Zyta's season." Dianthe shuddered, "I've been staring at budget reports so much that I'm surprised I'm not cross eyed."

"Mama, are you going to come home?" Bonnie asked.

"I am." Dianthe promised. "You two will see a lot more of me. It is official now. I am no longer Kalos champion. My first task is to be your mother."

"You missed many of Bonnie's firsts." There was a tinge of anger in Clemont's voice, "Where were you when the epidemic struck Luminous City, sickening and very nearly ending Bonnie's life? Where were you when the Labor Day storm broke and nearly destroyed The city? Where were you, mom?"

"We have a lot to talk about. Come, both of you." Dianthe left with Clemont and Bonnie.

"I missed many of his firsts too." Satoshi responded, "The opening of his eyes for the first time, his first word, his first steps, I missed so much."

"Opening of his eyes?" Serena was holding Ash's cold and clammy hand in her own.

"It's a genetic thing affecting the males in my linage. As you know, some Pokemon are born with their eyes tightly closed and ears folded. It is to protect them from loud noises and bright lights. Well, in my linage, something similar happens. Ash was born with his eyes tightly closed. They stayed closed for 12 days. No one is sure why the males of my linage, myself and Giovanni included, are born this way. It may just be a throwback from the time we lived in trees." Satoshi explained, "Ash was born at home. Yes, I was there. It was just me and Delia, and I delivered Ash."

"Why a home birth?"

"There was no time to get to the hospital."

"Do you know what happened?"

"I do. I am proud of him."

"I know I have not been the best mother." Dianthe stared at her son and daughter. "You both have made me very proud."

"Where were you when I needed you?" Clemont asked, "Why did you abandon us, Mother?"

"Oh Clemont." Dianthe hugged him, "I did try to find time for both you and Bonnie. I will have much more time now. I am going to be around a lot more. You know I love you."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"I've hurt you."

"Gee, you think? Don't expect to walk into my life and expect me to welcome you with open arms!"

Clemont stormed off to be alone. He didn't think he could handle being around his mother any longer. He felt so hurt inside. Hot tears beaded at the corners of his eyes. Why couldn't he have a mother who was around? Did she really even try? Why did she not come when Bonnie got so sick with the flu that she had to be rushed to the hospital? Did she even know Bonnie was dying at one point? He punched the wall in frustration, his tears falling. Part of his anger was at Ash for not grabbing Bonnie's hand. Ash had also risked his own life to save Bonnie. This was getting to be too much to handle. He sank to his knees, and let his pain out through crying. He felt a prick of a needle and felt no more.

Clemont woke up quietly, finding himself laying on his side on a bench with his head on Dianthe's lap. She was gently stroking his hair, which surprisingly felt good. He turned his head up to see his mother.

"Hello, Clemont. I had you sedated for a bit. You were emotionally exhausted. I shouldn't have pushed you like I did. I want us to be okay." Dianthe said.

"Mom." Clemont sat up, "Thanks. I want us to be okay too. How is Bonnie handling this?"

"She has been taking it pretty well. She is visiting Ash, who woke up an hour ago. She does feel guilty about what happened." Dianthe answered, "Clemont, back when Bonnie got sick, I did want to rush to her side. I was leading a strike force at the time. I couldn't leave my post without endangering all of Kalos. I had to stay."

"You could have called."

"I wanted to, but the risk was far too great. I worried about Bonnie too. I couldn't be there in person, but I was definitely there in spirit. Come, I know you want to see Ash."

"Didn't you at least try to contact us?" Clemont allowed her to hold him.

"Trust me, I tried." Dianthe smiled, "I did send a note."

"Dad showed us the note. He said that while you couldn't come, you were thinking of us. I didn't understand back then. All I knew was that I wanted my mother and she never came."

"You were only seven years old." Dianthe responded, "I prayed to Arceus to save my little girl. At one point, I screamed at Arceus for putting us through this, especially since I couldn't be there."

"Dad and I did a lot of praying to Arceus too. He heard us. He made Bonnie better." Clemont stood, "I feel better now, Mom. Let's go see how Ash is doing."

Serena sat beside Ash, holding his hand. He was awake and lucid despite being feverish. Satoshi sat nearby. Pikachu and Eevee were curled up on ether side of Ash. Braxien watched from by the window. Noibat dozed, curled up between Ash's shoulder and neck. He let out the occasional soft croon.

"Braxien?" Braxien asked as Ash winced.

"I'm okay, Braxien. I had a spasm in my bad leg." Ash turned his head toward Braxien.

"Ash? Did you understand her?" Serena asked.

' _Oh Arceus!_ ' "I guess I never told you. I can understand Pokemon language. I've always had this ability. My moms Mr. Mime, or as I called him, Sir lectures a lot, would lecture me after mom punished me. I swear, he made my ears bleed once." Ash explained.

' _Good save, my son._ ' "Ash, you had a double ear infection. Your ear drums tore. It took me and Mr. Mine to hold you down so Delia could administer your ear drops." Satoshi recalled, "You kicked and tried to bite Mr. Mime."

"You threatened to have Snorlax sit on me." Ash added, "The lug has to weigh at least four tons."

"Actually, it's four and a half tons." Satoshi said.

Serena giggled, "Something tells me you were a terror as a child!"

"He was." Satoshi said, "There are so many stories I could share."

"So I was a bit of a brat." Ash said, "I grew out of it."

Clemont and Dianthe entered the room. Braxien moved to Ash's side. She placed a paw on his forehead. He was definitely warmer than she would like. Pikachu looked up at her, concern in his eyes.

" **It's alright, Pikachu. He is a little feverish. He is warmer than I would like, but I'm not too worried.** " Braxien explained, " **The fever is most likely a reaction to all the medication he has been receiving. He also has a minor infection going on in his leg which I expected to happen. He's fine.** "

" **Oh good.** " Pikachu settled back down. " **I am worried enough about him as it is.** "

He found himself looking over at Eevee. She was pretty. He felt his heart beat a little faster and his paws get sweaty. He knew he was falling for Eevee. He thought about the other female Pokemon he had traveled with. There was Snivy, but she was more like a sister to him. Bayleaf was very motherly. She was a lot like Braxien, caring for the team. He remembered the time Ash had gotten bit by an Ekans. Normally, the venom didn't cause much harm to a human. Ash had reacted badly, vomiting and shaking nearly non stop. He had complained of a spreading numbness and of being really cold. Misty and Brock had both done what they could. Bayleaf had gone deeper into Ilex Forest, returning with a mouthful of several kinds of berries. She had put him and Cyndaquil to work stripping leaves from the berries while she chewed the ones she wanted into a pulp. Her poultice had helped with the wound. To counter the poison itself, she had ripped part of her large leaf on her head off and Brock had used it to make some tea for Ash. Pikachu knew that to give up part of her leaf took serious guts. It was akin to him losing his tail. There was Buneary, who had admitted to being in love with him, but he felt nothing for her. Emolga and he had argued a lot. Ash often threatened to put him in his Poke ball when he and Emolga had one of their spats. Eevee on the other hand was different. Her shy and gentle nature drew him to her. Her deep brown eyes were mesmerizing. She was pretty too.

Eevee watched Pikachu, her stomach tied up in knots. She took a deep breath, knowing she needed to tell Pikachu her feelings. She finally stood.

" **Pikachu, I want to talk to you.** " Eevee swallowed nervously.

" **How about we go to the garden? It is more private there.** " Pikachu stood.

" **Yes, lets.** " Eevee agreed.

The two Pokemon jumped off of Ash's bed. They headed toward the door which was closed. Serena stood and stretched.

"I'll go with you to the garden, okay?" Serena opened the door and followed the Pokemon to the garden. Eevee sat under the Oran berry tree. Serena sat on a bench nearby where she could see them. Pikachu sat next to Eevee. Eevee licked her lips. It was now or never. Her heart started to pound. Could she actually do this?

" **I've been feeling this way for a while now, Pikachu.** " Eevee broke the silence. " **Being around you makes me so happy. Being beside you in battle is one of my greatest joys. Pikachu, I have feelings for you.** "

" **We do make a good team, Eevee. I've met many female Pokemon on my travels with Ash, but none of them stirred feelings in me the way you have. You are different and I want to get to know you even more. Eevee, I have feelings for you too. I want us to become so much more."** Pikachu reached out and put his paw on Eevee's paw, " **I'm in love with you, Eevee.** "

" **I love you, Pika.** " Eevee leaned toward Pikachu and tenderly kissed his cheek. Pikachu blushed, and was thankful for his red cheeks. Slowly, he leaned forward and returned the kiss. Serena smiled. Eevee and Pikachu were cute together. She sighed happily, and clenched her fists. If Eevee could work up the courage to confess her feelings, so too could she. She would tell Ash her feelings. Leaving the two Pokemon in the garden, she returned to the room.

Ash had gone back to sleep, no doubt due to the purring Noibat, who was also asleep. Braxien kept watch over Ash while Bonnie dosed next to her mother. Satoshi was out of the room and Clemont was in the chair by Ash's bed. Serena sighed. She would have to wait until Ash woke up. Little did she know that it would be a long time until Ash woke up.

 **Queen Sunstar: Coming up next, Satoshi is faced with a decision no parent should have to make. You'll find out what that decision is next chapter. Dianthe tries to repair her relationship with Clemont while Pikachu and Eevee get even closer. Reviews are greatly appreciated. I am not one of those authors who set a number of reviews before updating. I go by number of hits instead. See you next chapter!**

 **PS: I am working on another Pokemon story called Dark Hero. In this story, Pokemon are becoming Shadowed. Lysandre and Sycamore work to save the Pokemon being turned. Ash becomes a victim of the Shadowing, which makes him very ill. There are worries that humans are becoming affected until the dying Ash drops a bombshell. He's not entirely human. The reason he is affected is because of his Pokemon half. Before he can explain, he dies. His body disappears from the lab's morgue. Some time passes, and the Pokemon that have become Shadowed start attacking cities. Luminous City becomes a battlefield. Clemont orders an evacuation. He stays behind to try to hold off the Shadowed Pokemon. He is thrown for a loop when a very familiar figure steps into the light. I'll end the summary there.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Queen Sunstar: We are in the very center of this story. Enjoy the chapter!**

Satoshi was up early the following morning. He was in Ash's room when Dr. Carter came to take Ash to surgery.

"What will you do exactly?" Satoshi asked.

"You can ask Dr. Shion, the orthopedic surgeon who will perform the surgery. I'm only taking him to the OR. Here he is now." Dr. Carter stepped aside.

Dr. Shion had pale blue hair with unusual red eyes. A Honedge hovered just behind him, and a Delphox stood beside him.

"I take it you are the father, right? I am the Orthopedic Surgeon. Come over here a moment." Shion moved over to a light board. Opening a folder, he put up several X-rays. "His friend, Clemont, told me Ash had three compound fractures. My plan for this surgery is to focus on the femur. I am going to insert a rod into the bone and reconstruct the femur around it. I am going to remove the knee joint and depending on how Ash is tolerating the surgery, I will insert some hardware on the tibia. I will put in pins to keep his leg straight. His next surgery is knee replacement. He has a long road of recovery ahead of him. I need you to sign some papers, just the usual stuff required for me to operate, and do what I need to resuscitate him if necessary."

Satoshi signed the papers, "You have my permission to everything you can for my son."

Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena joined Satoshi in the waiting area.

"Ash is in surgery, and it will be about four hours before he is out of surgery." Satoshi explained, "We should hear something soon."

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm sure Ash is doing fine, Pikachu." Satoshi answered.

"You understood him?" Clemont asked.

' _Crap!_ ' "I do understand Pokemon speech. It is something that runs in my side of the family. My brother, Giovanni, doesn't have the ability like Ash and I do. My wife, Delia, also doesn't have the ability." Satoshi prayed the three children wouldn't pry.

"You said you got to meet Arceus. What is he like?" Bonnie changed the subject.

"Arceus is a gentle God. He cares about all of his creations and does what he can for them. He hears all of your prayers and does his best to answer. Not so long ago, Luminous City got hit by a very bad storm. I heard the prayers and responded by sending Zapdos to calm the storm." Satoshi answered.

"You heard the prayers?" Clemont arched an eyebrow.

' _Oh crap!_ ' "Did I say I heard the prayers? I meant Arceus heard the prayers." Satoshi corrected himself quickly. He sighed. It would be easier if the children knew, but at the same time, the knowledge would endanger them. An idea popped into his mind. "There are many myths, legends, and stories surrounding m-Arceus. To pass the time, why don't I tell you my favorite story? It was told to me by my mother, Ashley Ketchum, as a bedtime story."

"I want to hear it!" Bonnie called out, both Squishy and Dendenne adding their agreement.

"Pika!" Pikachu curled up on Satoshi's lap.

"Yes, let's!" Serena agreed, releasing her three Pokemon. Eevee joined Pikachu. Pancham settled by Serena's feet while Braxien made herself comfortable on the floor. She was joined by Luxray, Bunnelby, and Chespin. Before long, Talonflame, Noibat, Frogadier, and Hawlucha settled in.

"Let's hear it!" Clemont agreed.

"Okay. Not too long ago, Arceus met Giratina in battle. This battle was so fierce that not even the Sun dared to shine. Witnesses say Arceus tore open a portal to the Distorted World and sentenced Giratina to live there. Giratina has been seen feeding in our world from time to time. I believe Arceus allowed Giratina to leave only to feed. Arceus was left badly injured from the fight. His blood was found in the Oak Pokemon Reserve. For a while, it was feared that Arceus was dead. According to my mother, Arceus lost conscious. He was found by a teen girl who nursed him back to health. They became friends, and their friendship bloomed into love. Arceus can become human at will. Before long, he married her. It is said that a few years after marrying, they had a son. This son may or may not know his father is Arceus. He could be on a Pokemon journey of his own. No one is sure if Arceus fathered a son with a human woman." Satoshi said.

"It is true. We have seen young Arceus!" Bonnie replied excitedly.

"Yes, remember back in the wetlands? Florges and Goodra tried to protect the wetlands from Groudon, but they were forced to defend. Ash got really angry. He sent Pikachu to fight Groudon, and moments later, young Arceus charged at Groudon." Serena said.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, did anyone see Ash during the battle?" Clemont asked.

"I didn't. I was too busy directing Squishy in its ten percent form. We made sure no one got caught in the crossfire." Bonnie said, "We evacuated the Pokemon to a safer area."

"I didn't ether. I was focused on Pancham, who was creating walls of ice to block attacks." Serena said.

"I didn't see him. I was directing Bunnelby and Chespin." Clemont thought, "This is going to sound crazy, but what if Ash and young Arceus are one and the same?"

"Yep, it's crazy." Bonnie responded, "But what if?"

"That would mean Satoshi is Arceus." Serena looked at Satoshi, "Is it true?"

Satoshi knew he was in the hot seat. What could he do? He could deny it, but that would make the kids more curious. He could admit the truth, but that would only put them in danger. What was his best option? He sighed, and made his choice.

"It is. Ash is the son of Arceus." Satoshi stood, and shifted forms, "I am Arceus. The woman I fell in love with is Delia, Ash's mother. She nursed me back to health after my battle against Giratina." He returned to his human form, "You must never tell anyone what I just showed you."

"We promise." The kids chorused.

* * *

After six hours, Dr. Shion came out. His scrubs were splattered with blood and it looked like he had been working hard. His shoulders were slumped and he looked sad. Serena felt fear form a lump in her stomach.

"I was able to repair the damage, but Ash has a massive blood infection, and it has damaged many of his organs. As for the blood on me, it's his. The clamp on his femoral artery blew." Dr. Shion said, "Ash has developed a high fever. His condition is critical."

"Will he be okay?" Serena asked.

"I don't know." Dr. Shion explained, "A nurse will come take you to him in an hour. He won't be awake, and I want him to sleep for the next 24 hours. He will be on a ventilator but it is just for the time he remains asleep." He left.

Satoshi stood and began to pace, "Xerneas might be able to help, but she deals with life, not injuries. Jirachi can heal, but he's in his 1000 year nap. Don't start praying to me. I can't do anything as my hooves, er, hands are tied, and I can't heal myself or Ash as he is my flesh and blood."

"How often do you hear prayers?" Bonnie asked.

"Every second of every day." Satoshi managed a smile, "I do my best to answer what I can answer. Bonnie, I heard that prayer. Dianthe will be around a lot more. I promise."

An hour later, Nurse Joy came and took them to Ash's room. He looked bad. He had no color to his face save for a band of redness stretching from cheek to cheek. An ice pack rested on his forehead. A white tube was in his mouth, his chest rising and falling with each breath forced into him. His leg was wrapped in hardened frubble and rested in traction. A large tube exited the side of his leg to feed into a bag. The bag held a pinkish fluid. He was wearing two IVs, one of them holding a bag of blood and a bag of clear fluids, the other holding a bag of yellowish fluid and another bag of clear fluids. He had a catheter.

"We're giving him a lot of fluids to combat the infection as well as high doses of multiple antibiotics. The blood is mainly white blood cells cultured from our Abra. We are giving him everything we can to fight." Nurse Joy explained.

"I thought it was illegal to use Pokemon that way." Serena said.

"It is if the Pokemon is being used to test products. In this case, the Abra are bred for the purpose of us using them to create certain medicines. Abra are incapable of getting sick, and it still hasn't been explained. Each Abra has one of the ten blood types of us humans. Using them, we create more effective medicines. It also saves us from having to find a human with the needed blood type. The Abra here are 65 years old. They were bred to be unable to evolve, and it might have made them immortal." Nurse Joy explained.

"As the Luminous City gym leader, I am required to protect it as well as provide leadership. To protect, I use Megnezone. These Megnezone are specially bred to be larger and more aggressive than those found in the wild. They can fight on their own without direction from me. They follow a pack leader which is me, and Bonnie is my beta." Clemont put in, "It is the same with the Sharpedo in Berry Town's harbor."

"I see." Serena nodded, "It is like the Ryhorn. Those bred to race are slimmer with longer legs than those in the wild."

"Exactly. The Abra here love what they do. If any of them showed distress, we would put them back in their pen. We don't force them to work." Nurse Joy said, "We treat them very well."

"Not to worry. Any lab caught in the act is destroyed by an act of me." Satoshi went to his sons bedside after Nurse Joy left. "Everything is going to be okay."

All they could do now was wait. Pikachu curled up against Ash's non injured side while Eevee settled in next to Pikachu. She began to clean Pikachu's ear, her tail resting on her lovers back. Pikachu's tail did the same. It was quiet in the room save for the sounds of the machines and the steady hiss of the ventilator. A phone rang. Satoshi drew out his cell phone and answered it.

"Yes? I'm coming." Satoshi closed his phone and stood, "I'm needed at the Kalos league hall. Since Dianthe stepped down and named Kaito Shion as her successor, all of us Champions are needed to vote him in, and witness him battle Dianthe. Call me with updates when you can." He left.

Serena took the chair by Ash's bed. She took his cold and clammy hand into her own. A sad sigh escaped her. She hated seeing Ash look so helpless. This wasn't the Ash she knew. He was always active, always moving. He was always putting himself in danger to protect them. She recalled the time she got poisoned by a poison sting from a Skorupi. It had made her sick to her stomach, and she didn't have her Pokemon with her. She was on the verge of falling unconscious when the bushes shook and young Arceus came to her side. She had accidentally vomited on him. Young Arceus had shown concern, and spoke to a Fletchling who had gotten some Pecha berries. Serena remembered how young Arceus had carefully nipped the berries and gently dribbled the juice into her mouth. Serena had vomited up the juice, her stomach too upset to keep it down. Agony had gripped her body as she had started to shiver from fever. The last thing she had remembered was something gooey being placed in her mouth. She knew she had chewed and swallowed before blacking out.

She had woken up in her sleeping bag feeling much better. Ash was sitting beside her. He had looked relieved to see her awake. He had said that he had found her in the woods and carried her back to camp. After Clemont had determined she was okay, only asleep, he had put her in her sleeping bag and stayed by her side.

"That was you. You saved me. You are always protecting us." Serena murmured, "You shoved Clemont out of the way and took the hit from Bisharp that left a deep cut in your side. You've protected Bonnie too. What you did a few days ago was very brave. You knew you would be injured, yet you let go of my hand and saved Bonnie's life."

Clemont moved his chair by Serena. Bonnie did the same.

"I know I have not thanked you for saving Bonnie yet, so thanks, Ash. Thanks for saving Bonnie. She sees you as a brother, and so too do I." Clemont went silent.

"Get better, Ash. We will help you recover. Um, thanks for saving me. I wish you didn't get hurt. I know you don't blame me, but I still blame myself. I should have grabbed your hand during the fall." Bonnie looked away.

Outside, it began to rain.

* * *

" **This is some storm. It can't be natural.** " Keldo stared up at the roiling black mass of gathering clouds. The young Pokemon could feel the electricity in the air. His cream colored coat was raised from static electricity.

" **This ain't no Labor Day storm.** " Zapdos said from his perch on a tree branch, recalling the massive storm that had formed over the Luminous Badlands and slammed through Luminous City. He shuddered, knowing that if he had not come, Luminous City would not have survived the storm. " **I am pretty sure this storm is not natural. Even I can't create something upon this order. Rayquaza probably could get close, but this storm is too strong to have been made by him. Tornadus, what do you make of it?** "

The legendaries had all gathered at the heart of the Kalos region.

" **It was made by nature.** " The tornado maker replied after a bit.

" **Are you lot fighting again?** " Lugia turned to look at her three feathered charges, " **If you lot are behind this, I swear I will kill you all!** "

" **No, it wasn't us. I've been busy getting laid by Ho-OW!** " Moltress winced, rubbing the back of his head where he had just been pecked by Ho-Oh.

" **There are children here!** " Ho-Oh hissed.

" **She's just jealous over the fact I have a child.** " Lugia nuzzled her son, Leu.

" **I'm not jealous! I've produced and raised many hatchlings of my own, miss I-mated-with-a-Wailord!** "

" **Oh! Oh!** " Lugia charged at Ho-Oh. Pretty soon, screeches, attacks, and hisses filled the air.

" **Enough!** " All three weather birds cut in between the warring Ho-Oh and Lugia.

" **Stop fighting each other!** " Articuno snapped, " **This is not how trio leaders are supposed to act, and we have a huge problem before us!** "

" **She started it!** " Ho-Oh growled.

" **That is enough!** " Both trio leaders found themselves being held apart in psychic bubbles, courtesy of Mewtwo.

" **The fighting has got to stop! I'm tired, my feet hurt, and I'm in no mood for this! I'm expecting!** " Reshiram put herself between Ho-Oh and Lugia. The wooded clearing went dead silent. " **Yes, it is Zekroms, and I will be birthing it as a live birth.** "

" **But dragon types lay eggs.** " Kyrum pointed out, " **How can you produce by live birth?** "

" **I don't know what happened for this to be a live birth.** "

" **How do we stop this storm? Anyone?** " Keldo asked.

" **We can't, Keldo. We can lessen the storm.** " Verizon explained.

" **Okay, what is the plan?** " Keldo asked.

The legendaries all eyed one another. Rayquaza sighed.

" **As usual, leave it to me to come up with a plan. Give me five minutes.** " The atmospheric dragon Pokemon headed up until he was above the storm. Deoxys was waiting. " **Clueless jokes.** "

" **I wonder sometimes how they keep from killing each other. According to my analysis, the storm will keep growing for at least three to five more days. We have to stop it here and now. Judging by the jet stream, it will travel southwest by west. You know what is that way.** " Deoxys replied.

" **The Entralink, and if it is allowed to get there, the Destabilization will begin.** " Rayquaza shuddered.

" **I'm going down.** " Deoxys slipped below the clouds and descended into the clearing. It promptly dodged a sacred fire and ducked under a hydro pump. It sighed, and let loose with a piercing whistle. Everyone froze. " **Lugia, release Ho-Oh, now. Kyrum, remove your mouth from Keldo's neck. Palkia, for the last time, Dialgia is not a chew toy. Now that I have everyone's attention, Destabilization.** " Gasps rang out from the legendaries.

" **What's Destabilization?** " Keldo asked.

" **Destabilization is when the world ends.** " Yveltal answered, " **I absorb all life, fall into my cocoon, and finally die. I'll even end the Forefathers life too. That of course will only happen if something like this storm reaches the Entralink and disturbs Zyta's rest. Once she awakens, she will sing her song of mourning, and when she hits her final note, I do my thing. Once Zyta begins her song, there is nothing that can be done.** "

" **Actually, there is a chance of stopping Zyta after she begins her song. I know the song of life, the very song sang by the Forefather just before he hatched. I might be able to counter Zyta's song.** " Meloetta spoke up.

" **Okay. Meloetta, prepare yourself to give the best performance you can if we fail. Those of you that fly or float, into the air. Those that can't, run ahead and begin evacuating humans and Pokemon to the north. We are going to try to direct this thing into the badlands. Kyrum, take Regigigas and start bringing winter to the badlands.. Suicune, go with them. Get it as cold as you possibly can. Once we get the storm into the badlands, Tornadus, Thunderus, Rayquaza, and I will try to collapse it.** " Deoxys laid out its plan.

" **Those of us able to speak the human language will lead a group each and head toward the cities in the path of the storm. I will lead a group as will the other members of the Swords of Justice.** " Cobalion decided.

" **I'll lead a group. I can fly, but due to my small size, I would get blown away.** " Shaymin said.

" **I can lead a group.** " Entei offered.

" **Okay. You guys do that, and Shaymin, I agree with you. Celebi, Jirachi, you two are small as well, so go ahead and join the evacuation teams. Hoopla, you lead a team to Luminous City. Due to its size, you'll need to use your rings to ensure everyone gets out safely. Let's do this, everyone. The world is counting upon us all to protect it. I know we can succeed together.** " Deoxys watched as everyone moved to their places.

* * *

Jayla stood outside, the lightly falling snow swirling down around her. Her face was tilted up at the sky. A gust of wind rustled her hair. A storm was coming. It would take everything she had to do her job, protect everyone. Wolfric joined her.

"Everything is in place. The Pokemon are ready to do their part. I only hope the legends are working to protect us." The ice type gym leader spoke.

"This may be their last stand." Jayla responded, "I contacted the Kalos Ranger Union. Rangers are being scrambled. A call went out an hour ago to the other Regions. We are doing our part. I fear the storm may swing toward Unova and the Entralink."

"Do you think it is strong enough do awaken Her?"

"I don't know."

"Arceus preserve us." Wolfric made the mark of Arceus over his chest.

"All we can do is pray that we have enough in place to try to weaken the storm, and that the legends have a plan. Does the hospital have plans in place to deal with severe storms?"

"I ordered the city to go on storm watch. Everyone is busy preparing supplies and getting ready to face the storm."

"Good." Jayla turned and entered the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

**Queen Sunstar: We might be closer to the end than I thought. Enjoy the chapter!**

"It's starting to really come down out there." Bonnie was watching the snow fall outside. Squishy was curled up by Ash, sleeping. Pikachu and Eevee were snuggling by Ash's good leg. Serena was by his side, holding his hand in her own. Clemont had left to go get dinner for everyone.

"Wolfric did say it was going to get really stormy." Serena smiled, "I've always loved the snow."

"I'm looking forward to playing in the snow. I know some of the Pokemon will enjoy the free time."

"It might get a little too deep for you."

"You might be right about that. Where is Clemont? I'm starving."

The door opened to reveal Dr. Carter. He entered the room and checked the machines, making adjustments as needed.

"Everything looks good. We need him to fight off the infection in his blood. I have been considering putting him into a medically induced coma in order to give him a better chance to fight. This will be up to Satoshi of course." Carter began to do an examination on Ash. "Good, he is nice and stable. Eyes are reactive, grip is strong. He could probably breathe on his own, but I want to wait until he is awake to remove the breathing tube. He is responsive, which is good. This is what I want to see."

"So Ash is going to wake up?" Bonnie asked.

"He will. If not tomorrow, than Wednesday for sure. He won't be awake for long at first. That is normal. I bet by Friday, we will move him to a regular room. He won't be discharged for weeks yet."

"Knowing Ash, he probably is already trying to wake up." Serena said, "He doesn't stay down long."

"Nurse Joy threatened to tie Ash to his bed after Ash kept getting up. He had Strep Pneumonia. He was down for four days, and back to normal on day five. Nurse Joy made him stay in bed for three more days before letting him get up for short walks. Clemont made him wait a week before accepting his challenge." Bonnie said.

At that, Ash managed to open his eyes and give a weak wave before going back to sleep.

"I'm going to be discharging him early, am I?" Carter asked.

"Better expect it." Serena smiled.

Dr. Carter left as Clemont came in carrying three plates.

"Everyone up for Magikarp steaks?" He asked.

"Gimme!" Bonnie took a plate.

Clemont handed a plate to Serena. The next few minutes was spent eating. Some Pokemon were used as livestock. Miltank and Tauros were raised for meat and milk. Magikarp were so common that some people made their livings catching and selling them. They were farmed too. Other farmed Pokemon were Pidgey and Farfetch'd.

"Nice and crispy, the way I like it!" Bonnie said.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Clemont asked.

"Ash is doing well." Serena said, "He's responsive, and he has a good chance of awakening tomorrow."

"He did wake up briefly a few minutes ago. He is aware. I bet he can smell our dinners." Bonnie said, "You know how he gets around Magikarp steaks."

"He can put away nearly five of them. I've wondered where he puts it all." Serena said.

Braxien suddenly erupted from her poke ball and rushed to Ash's side. Both Eevee and Pikachu leapt up, their tails waving in alarm. Squishy trembled, head raised.

"What is wrong, Braxien?" Serena worried.

"Braxien, Brax!" Braxien tensed.

Ash convulsed violently. Braxien grabbed and held Ash's head. Mentally, she pulled up her list of berries. The very rare Micle Berry juice was a natural anticonvulsant. Ash's seizure came to an end. Braxien rooted into the berry pouch, finding what she wanted. Serena had hit the nurse button, and Nurse Joy rushed into the room. Ash convulsed again. This one far more violent then the last one.

"I need to get an anticonvulsant on board!" Nurse Joy cried out, searching the cupboards, "Oh no! The room hasn't been restocked yet!"

"Braxien!" Braxien ran to Joy with the berry, "Brax Braxien!"

"Oh thank Arceus!" Joy took the berry. Deftly, she used a syringe to get to the juice. She injected it into the IV. The convulsions stopped, only for the heart monitor to let off one long tone. Joy rushed to the door. "Code Blue!"

The room filled quickly with medical personnel.

"Get ready, clear!" Ash jerked with the shock. There was some rapid beeping followed by the long tone once more.

"No! Ash don't do this to us!" Serena didn't care about the fact she was crying, "Don't go! This can't be how it ends!"

"Resuming chest compressions."

"Electrode, 200 joules."

"Ready? Clear!"

Bonnie buried her face into Clemont, who held her. He watched, his expression one of sorrow.

Another jerk, more rapid beeping, the tone. All sound faded out. Serena saw nothing but the injured boy being frantically worked on. A bright yellow lance of electricity struck Ash. Pikachu. A moment bled by. More frantic activity. The glint of a scalpel. Another lance of electricity. Another jerk, chest compressions.

"AAAAAAASH!" Sound returned in a rush. Serena charged toward the bed. "DON'T GO! PLEASE, I LOVE YOU! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Someone grabbed her. Serena fought the hold. There was a pinch, and slowly everything faded.

Serena woke with a gasp. Trying to sit up, she found she had been restrained. Her breath hitched as she frantically tugged on the restraints. She had to get to Ash!

"Easy, Serena." A woman's voice spoke, "Calm down."

A hand rested on her shoulder. Serena jerked away with a yelp. Frantic blue eyes darted about in confusion. A blink. Serena looked around the room. Things came into focus. First a night table. A counter with a sink. A closed door. Light blue walls. A window with the curtains drawn. Deep breaths. Calm down. She turned her head. Dianthe smiled.

"Dianthe!" Serena couldn't bring herself to voice the dreaded words.

"Shh. You got overtired and overwhelmed emotionally and physically. You were restrained for your safety. It's okay. Ash is okay. Pikachu got him back before they went intracardiac. He's undergoing some testing." Dianthe explained.

Serena knew that the Kalos Champion was holding something back. Dianthe removed the restraints, letting her sit up and turn toward her.

"He's okay?" She asked.

"He is, for now. Serena, they discovered a massive blood clot in his injured leg. Pieces have broken off and are what have been triggering his cardiac episodes." Dianthe sat on the bed and let Serena hug her. "Clemont and Bonnie are waiting for news in the waiting room. Everything will be okay. I know you love Ash."

"I do. What if he dies? What if I never get the chance to tell him?"

"I've been in your place. 20 years ago, Kanto's fate hung in the balance. It's Champion, Satoshi, called for help. I and many others answered the call. While fighting in Kanto, I met a 20 year old man. His name was Meyer. The fighting came to an end, and Kanto survived. We went our separate ways. Well, I found myself missing him. I realized I really did love him. I searched to no avail for him. I dated other men, but it never felt right. I wanted Meyer. I decided to enter the performance circuit. I made it to the finals, which I won. I hoped Meyer was watching. He was. I sent a plea to him in my victory speech, asking that he meet me at my hotel. Well, he did. Being with him felt so right. I told him my feelings, and you can imagine my reaction when he responded by kissing me. He had felt the same about me, and still does today. Six months after that kiss, we married. I became champion of Kalos, and Meyer took over the gym in Luminous City. We had our son, Clemont, and our daughter, Bonnie. You see, not knowing hurt. Have faith in Ash. I hear that he's a fighter."

"He is. I love him. I'm so afraid that I waited too long."

"You'll get your chance. Do you feel up to returning to the waiting area?"

"I'm okay now." Serena got out of bed. She followed Dianthe to the waiting area. Clemont stood, relief on his face. "I'm okay now. I got emotionally and physically exhausted."

"You aren't the only one. It happened to me too." Clemont smiled.

Two hours drifted by. Nurse Joy came for them. She took them to a conference room. Dr. Shion and Dr. Carter were waiting for them. Everyone took seats.

"As you know, we found a massive blood clot inside his injured leg. It has prevented blood flow to his lower leg, and it's dying. We may not be able to save it." Dr. Carter began.

"I suspect the bone is necrotizing. Tomorrow morning, he is scheduled for exploratory surgery of his leg. If the bone is necrotized, I will have to remove it." Dr. Shion explained.

"Clemont, don't you dare." Bonnie glared at her big brother.

"But I-"

"No!"

"…Fine."

"Can we see him?"

"Not tonight. The risk of a secondary infection is too high. I've scheduled an MRI to try to get more detail on his leg." Dr. Shion explained.

"Ash has gone into a coma. So far, the infection hasn't hit any of his organs. He's been assigned a Pokemon caretaker, a Delphox. He is being moved to the CCU. It may be a while before you can see him again. We are doing everything we can for him. He is getting the best care we can give." Nurse Joy finished.

Jayla waited. A line of dragon type Pokemon waited with her. The snow was falling thickly. The Pokemon Ranger focused on sound. Somewhere in this distance there was a crack of lightning followed shortly by a Pokemon's scream. There were dull splats as snow flakes hit the ground. Each breath of the dragon type Pokemon sounded like bellows. She listened, waiting. Her right arm went up. There. A steady roar.

"Twister! Now!" Jayla dropped her arm.

Each Pokemon released twister. Their attacks merged into a large twister. It vanished into the storm. The faint roar petered out. So far so good.

" **By the order of Lord Arceus, you must evacuate! This order is not to be ignored! Evacuate immediately!** " A Pokemon dashed through Snowbelle. " **My name is Entei, and I've been sent to get you to safety!** "

A screech sounded as Reshiram flamed up. A tongue of fire lanced out to strike something inside the leading edge of the storm.

"Twister, now!" Jayla ordered again.

Again, the roar petered out as the twister plowed into the newly formed tornado, destroying it. Somewhere in the storm, two Pokémon flared up, powerful fire attacks flying to strike a faint shape.

" **I need everyone to evacuate!** " Entei spun to attack a tendril of moving ice and snow, " **By the order of Lord Arceus, evacuate!** "

"Is it?" Jayla called out.

" **It is! She's out of control! They are trying to break through her defenses and stop her! Everyone, evacuate!** "

Jayla nodded to the dragon types, who broke off the defense. Soon, they began attacking the storm. "Entei, can you guide me to the gym?"

" **Hop on.** " Entei crouched. Jayla moved toward his voice and felt his shoulder. " **Are you blind?** "

Jayla settled in behind his withers, "Yes, I'm blind. It's okay. I manage just fine. Can you guys get to her and get her out? I sent the dragon types in to fight."

" **That's good. We are doing our best. I don't think she is in control. Something is controlling her, someone who really hates us all.** "

"I didn't think she could be controlled. This scares me. If she is being controlled, that means whomever is responsible could quite possibly control Arceus, or even worse, Prince Arceus, aka Ash."

" **That scares all of us legendaries. Control Ash, control us all.** "

"Wait! I just thought of something! What if Ash is controlling her? He is in a coma."

" **That could be.** " Entei swung around again. " **Flamethrower!** " He opened his mouth, sending a jet of flame at another snowy tendril. " **She's aware. She's attacking us.** "

"She must be out of her mind with terror. I know I would be if I woke up in a column of ice with every legendary attacking me."

" **Same here. Here you are. I'll continue alerting people.** " Entei guided Jayla to the gym door. " **Do you have a seeing eye Pokémon by the way?** "

"I do. Latias. Thanks, Entei. I'll have Wolfric guide me back to the hospital." Jayla walked into the gym. "Wolfric? You here?"

The gym leader appeared, "I'm here. I heard Entei."

"The storm is not normal. There is a Pokémon inside."

"I figured as much. This is an ice hurricane. It is very rare, and this one is the third one to strike. These are storms of the century. We get maybe two per century. We have not had one in 500 years." Wolfric was worried. "I hope everyone can still hear the sirens." He jogged to his office and slid open a section of a wall. He flipped a switch and pressed a button. Outside, red lights began to flash as the sirens let off their mournful wails.

"Those sound like our tornado sirens." Bonnie whispered.

Dr. Carter rushed into the room with a med team.

"We've been ordered to evacuate! Get him packaged up!" Carter ordered, "You guys follow!"

Quickly, Ash was prepped to be moved.

"Where are we going?" Bonnie asked.

"Underground." An orderly answered, "To Sub-Snowbelle."

"Sub-Snowbelle?" Serena asked.

"Sub-Snowbelle, the original city. It sank below ground during a terrible cataclysm 50 years ago." Dianthe answered. "Snowbelle City was built on top of it. Sub-Snowbelle was rediscovered 35 years ago and has been transformed into a vast shelter."

"Don't worry. We do have a medical center down there. We can do any kind of surgery necessary." Carter reassured.

"Doctor, the ambulances are waiting. They want the critical patients first. Snowplows are already out clearing the way. Ash is going to number five." Nurse Joy ran up to them carrying a clip board. "They are waiting for him. Family has to wait for the buses."

After that, things got moving like clockwork. Bonnie and Dianthe stayed with Ash in the ambulance. Serena and Clemont would wait for the buses. Snowbelle had done drills on this before. Everything moved smoothly. To get to the entrance to Sub-Snowbelle, there was a road that circled down the mountain to the entrance inside a large cave. Ambulances went first. After that the busses took to the road.

The storm pressed closer. The wind picked up. Snow blew heavily, reducing vision so much that drivers couldn't see more than inches in front of their busses. Clemont and Serena shared a seat. They felt the wind slam into the bus. The driver was doing his best to stay on the road.

"I'm getting scared. What if Ash doesn't survive the trip? What if I waited too long?" Serena's voice caught.

"Stop that, Serena!" Clemont turned to face her. "I know Ash feels the same as you do. He will be fine. You will get your chance to confess soon."

"Do you have anyone?" Serena asked a few minutes later.

"I…"

"It's Jayla, isn't it?"

"Maybe? I don't know yet."

"Well, do you like her?"

"Um, yes. She is pretty, smart, and her control of her Pokémon is flawless. She's fearless."

"You two do make a cute couple."

A strong gust of wind rocked the bus. Gasps rang out.

"Everyone, remain calm! I used to race this road in these kinds of conditions! Once we are through the switch backs, we will be out of the wind!" The driver called out.

Without realizing it, Serena and Clemont gripped each other's hands. Nerves clenched Serena's stomach as visions of another time on a rainy mountain road long ago filled her mind. She closed her eyes, seeing the falling tree, her father's desperate attempt to drive the car out of the way, her mother screaming in horror, the sickening lurch of the car as it rolled, and the sudden calm. Serena had survived uninjured thanks to her car seat. Her mom suffered a fractured back and broke her neck which ended her racing career. Her father had died on the side of the road after flagging down a car. He had sacrificed himself so his wife and daughter would survive.

Metal screeched. Serena's eyes flew open. The next thing she knew, the bus was airborne. It was kind of pleasant, floating like this. Screams rent the air. The bus hit the frozen ground, cracking open like an egg and jetting bodies like a wound spurting blood. Half the bus slid further down the mountain, pausing to balance precariously on the edge of a huge drop for a few seconds before falling with a tortured screech. Everything went dead quiet.

Ash had been set up in a new room. Bonnie took the warm ice pack off and placed a new one on Ash's forehead. She was alone, Dianthe was out coordinating the evacuation. Sub-Snowbelle was huge. It was basically an underground city with everything needed to run it. Electric Pokémon provided a charge of electricity to get generators up and running. A gentle vibration from the floor told Bonnie the vast reactor had been started up. Pikachu had gone to help out. Squishy watched over Ash from under a sun lamp thoughtfully provided by Wolfric after noticing that the little Pokémon looked weak and hungry. The lamp was helping, but Bonnie knew that Squishy needed sunlight. Eevee sat beside Ash, gently licking the sweat running down his face.

"Eevee, do you think you can try a heal bell?" Bonnie broke the silence.

"Ee." Eevee shook her head no.

"I understand. I'm scared. I wish I could do something to make Ash better. I don't want Serena to lose her chance to reveal her feelings."

"Ee Eevee vee." Eevee moved over to Bonnie and nuzzled her. "Eevee eve Ee vee."

"Thanks, Eevee." Bonnie scratched the fox Pokémon just behind her right ear. Eevee leaned into the scratch with a happy sigh. "Serena and Clemont should be here by now."

A loud cry got her attention. A very familiar voice sobbed. Bonnie peeked out the door, cried out, and rushed to Dianthe's side. Her heart pounded with fear.

"Mama, what's wrong?" Bonnie feared the answer.

"Clemont!" Dianthe cried out brokenly, "Clemont!"

"What happened? I'm scared, Mama!" Bonnie clung to her mother as a cold feeling gripped her. A Nurse Joy knelt to Bonnie's level.

"There was an accident on the mountain. We lost Bus 62. If there are survivors, they are on their own as the storm is too strong to mount a rescue." She said gently.

"Was Clemont and Serena on the bus?" Bonnie dreaded the answer even though she knew it. She barely heard Joy reply yes before collapsing against Dianthe with a scream of her own.

Something wet and warm dripping on his face woke him up. Clemont immediately wished he hadn't woke up. Directly above his head, caught in the twisted metal was a head with blood dripping from the mouth, a very dead head. A body hung below it, hanging on by an inch thick strip of skin. Clemont frantically kicked his way free from his seat and scrambled away. His foot sank into something with a sickening squelch. Looking down, Clemont did the sane thing. He promptly emptied the contents of his stomach on his seat. He had stepped on, or rather into a man's flayed open chest. Still heaving, Clemont worked his way out of the bus. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the horror around him. His head smashed into something hard.

"Ow!" A very familiar voice cried out.

"Jayla!" Clemont folded into her arms, crying.

"It's okay, I'm here." Jayla held him. "Latias, give me your eyes for a second."

"Latias!" Latias blinked. She connected with her trainer, and began sending her images. Jayla tensed, taking everything in.

"Survivors?"

"Latias!" Latias moved into the bus. She nosed several people and soon, levitated ten people to safety.

"Serena?" Clemont choked out.

"Lat, latias." Latias responded.

"She's not there. She's in the part that went off the cliff. I can't get to her. Latias can't fly down due to the wind." Jayla explained.

"But we have to save her!" Clemont cried out, "Can she get close enough to try to lift the bus out?"

"I don't know." Jayla replied.

Serena woke to a world of agony. Gingerly, she began to move. Nothing felt broken, just painful. Blood seeped into her eye. Reaching up, she felt out a cut. Her head hurt, but it didn't feel like a concussion. She'd had plenty of those before. Her ears were ringing, and blood dripped from her left ear. A torn earlobe explained why. She crawled to her feet, wincing as she did. Examining herself, she found cuts and bruises but nothing serious. That didn't mean she didn't have an internal injuries. Carefully, she crawled out of the bus. Four other people were with her, and it was very clear that they were dead. Her foot hit something, sending it skittering off. She realized a moment later that it was a human head. She heaved, leaving her dinner in the snow. Taking a deep breath, she looked around.

It was cold, so cold. She shivered, and gasped as pain ripped through her. She definitely had internal injuries. Her right side burned. A deep angry welt weeping blood surrounded by slowly darkening skin told her what was wrong. There was a deep throbbing too. Her appendix? First, get out of here. Next, get help. She was out of the wind thankfully. Moving slowly, she spotted the side of the mountain. Serena would have to climb. Slowly she began climbing.

The cold was zapping her strength, and the ice was making it very difficult. She slipped, sliding down a few feet. Her side erupted in agony. Serena gasped, choking back sobs. She had to do this. It was the only way out. Swallowing her pain, she forced herself to climb. Numb fingers and a slowly freezing body slowed her down. Again she slipped. Consciousness was beginning to fade.

" **I got you!** " Someone caught her. Serena moaned in pain. " **It's okay. I got you. Everything is going to be okay. My name is Zyta. I'm a Ponyta.** " Warmth flowed as Zyta increased her internal heat. " **I'm getting you out of here.** "

The little black Pokémon closed her eyes. Picturing the entrance to Sub-Snowbelle, both Pokémon and human girl vanished to reappear inside the entrance. The last thing Serena saw before falling into the pain free welcoming darkness was people rushing toward her.

Serena floated in the warm darkness. It was so peaceful here. She relaxed. There was no pain here. The sound of crying reached her.

"Huh? Who is here?" Serena moved toward the sound. Strangely, she could see just fine. "Hello?" The crying grew louder. Serena spotted its source. A boy lay curled up in a ball, crying. Serena moved to his side. "Are you okay?" Her eyes widened, "Ash!"

Ash looked up, "Serena? It hurts!"

"I know. Everything is going to be fine." Serena soothed.

"I want the pain to stop! I'm so cold!"

"Easy. I'm here." Serena hugged Ash, who seemed to calm down. "Better?"

"I'm still in pain. Serena, what happened to you? Why are you here in this place?" Ash worried.

"The bus I was in got blown off the mountain. I think I ruptured my appendix and maybe tore my intestine. I'm fine. I don't know about Clemont. Bonnie went with you." Serena explained.

"You're becoming transparent!" Ash cried out.

"I'm waking up." Serena smiled.

And opened her eyes. Blinking, she sat up slowly. Bandages wrapped around her waist and chest. Stitches held wounds closed. She didn't look that bad nor felt much pain. The door opened and Clemont flew into the room.

"You woke up!" He began to cry happy tears, "I was so worried!"

"How's Ash?" Serena asked, "And how are you?"

"He's in a coma. His infection has gotten worse, and he's not responding well to treatment. You on the other hand suffered a ruptured appendix and had some internal bleeding. They kept you sedated for the last two days so you could heal." Clemont explained, "Bonnie has taken over Ash's care. She is being a good nurse. Myself, I had a mild concussion and a few cuts and bruises. I'm fine. Jayla rescued me and the survivors. She tried to reach you but Latias couldn't take the wind. They did try though."

"That's good. I want to see him."

"I figured as much." Clemont pushed a wheelchair over. Serena sat in it and let Clemont wheel her to Ash's room. A second bed had been set up. She looked at Clemont. "That's for you. I knew you would want to be in here, so I arranged for you to be moved here after you woke up. Go see him." Getting up, she walked to his bedside.

"Ash, I'm here. Fight hard for me, okay? I'm here." There was something strange about Ash's legs. One seemed longer than the other. It dawned on her what had happened. "His leg!"

" **They had to. The bone necrotized and the tissue died. They took everything mid thigh down.** " Serena turned.

"Zyta!"

" **I'm fine. I gave myself a migraine with that teleport though. I'm glad you are okay.** " Zyta smiled as Bonnie slid down her back with a giggle followed by Squishy a moment later. " **They are having fun sliding on me. It is good to hear Bonnie laugh. She was so scared.** "

"How did you know?" Serena held Ash's hand.

" **You were praying, Serena. I heard your prayer, and as a Goddess, it's my duty to answer.** " Zyta explained.

"What are you the Goddess of?" Clemont asked.

" **Let me formally introduce myself. I am Zyta, Goddess of Destruction and the Foremother of all Pokémon and humankind. I am the one who will bring the end of this world with my song, the Ballad of Ending.** " Zyta dipped her head in greeting.

"I thought you slept in the Ethernet?" Bonnie asked.

" **I do. No one said I couldn't wake up.** " Zyta chuckled.

"People are worried that this storm is strong enough to wake you." Clemont replied, "The legendaries are fighting to stop the storm because they think it will wake you."

" **About the storm, it's not exactly natural. It formed naturally. I have a theory. The storm started around the same time Ash got hurt. I think it is a reflection of his inner agony. Um, I take it you know about his… nature?** "

"Yes." Heads nodded.

" **Think of his two halves as separate personalities. One personality is here. The other is the heart of the storm. They can't be apart like this. The half in the storm is trying to reconnect with the half in here. I think, due to the trauma he went through, the halves somehow got torn apart. They have been fighting to reconnect since.** " Zyta explained, " **They are one personality, but I thought it would be easier to think of them as separate.** "

"Okay, how do we get the two halves back together?" Clemont asked, "I don't know if I can create something to fix this."

" **You can't. Only Ash can.** "

"How?" Serena asked.

" **I wish I knew. I only know that Ash has to do this on his own. Once he is whole, healing can finally begin. I'm here to assist him. While I work, I need you to stay quiet. I need to concentrate and maintain the link. You two, we'll play more later. I promise.** " Zyta stood and walked over to Ash's side. She sat, resting her forelegs on the bed and laying her head down near Ash's head. She felt the heat from the still raging fever bleed off of him. She evened out her breathing, her eyes closed.

It would be a long wait.


	7. Chapter 7

**Queen Sunstar: Here's chapter 7. Next one is the conclusion.**

* * *

 **"** _ **Ash, let me in. I will help you. You must let me in. I know you must be terrified. Everything will be okay. Let me in, Ash.**_ **"** Zyta concentrated.

It was so cold. The young Goddess felt the icy wind buffeting her body. Heat blasted her as a fire type legendary flared up with a fire attack. It felt like a Flame Wheel. Suddenly, the cold vanished. Zyta knew at once that Ash had let her in. She was standing inside a house. A child's giggle rang out. Arceus's voice rang out in laughter. A delicious smell wafted from the kitchen. A woman's voice called out that it was dinner time. Zyta felt her stomach rumble. When did she last eat? She didn't exactly need to eat to live due to her being a goddess, but she ate for enjoyment. She would have to eat soon. She shoved thoughts of hunger aside.

"I'm safe here."

Zyta turned, **"Ash?"**

The boy was transparent. "I'm safe here."

 **"Why are you safe here?"** Zyta asked after a moment of thought.

"It can't get me in here."

 **"What can't get you in here?"**

A roar ripped through the air. Ash screamed. The scene dissolved, a battle grid lighting up the darkness. Zyta put herself in front of Ash, legs splayed and head lowered. Her ears flattened against her skull as she revealed her teeth. She waited.

"He's coming!" Ash cried out.

 **"Who is coming?"** Zyta asked.

Cold laughter rang out. "The brat means me."

The dark filly looked. A second Ash walked toward her and Ash. This Ash wore a white shirt, jeans, black and yellow jacket, and tennis shoes. A league hat finished his look. His voice was far too deep. It was also very familiar to Zyta.

 **"King Akuma."** Zyta snarled.

"You know him?" Ash asked.

 **"I wish I didn't!"** Zyta narrowed her eyes. **"He tried to add me to his collection!"**

"Zyta. I did not recognize you in your new form." Akuma strode closer.

 **"You! You are the reason I am stuck in this body! I had to sleep for a thousand years!"** It took sheer willpower to not charge. **"Leave this boy alone, Akuma!"**

"This boy can lead me to Arceus. Once I have both you and Arceus at my command, it is only a small matter to wipe the slate clean and start anew." Akuma stopped before Zyta and stroked her nose. Zyta snorted in displeasure.

 **"I think not! I will never be your tool again!"** Zyta hissed.

"Zyta, stop him!" Ash begged.

 **"I promise, Ash. Once he is destroyed, let's wake up together."** Zyta promised, **"I give you my word. I will always protect you."**

She faced Akuma. **"Bring it, you creep!"**

"I wouldn't." Akuma snapped his fingers. From the dark void beyond the battle grid, Serena strode forward. She wore a black crop top with black shorts. A pair of black spiked boots, a spiked collar, black fingerless gloves, and a black bicycle cap completed her look. She wore black eyeshadow and dark lipstick. Stopping in the middle of the grid, she looked up. A cage dropped down. In it sat a Pikachu that was basically fur and bones. It was held in the arms of a very thin blond girl wearing rags. The girl sniffled. Serena smiled cruelly. She held a button in hand. "You wouldn't want to hurt Pikachu and Bonnie, would you?"

"Don't hurt them!" Ash began to tremble.

 **"Do I look like I care?"** Zyta snarled.

"Zyta!" Ash protested, "You said you would protect me! Bonnie, Serena, Pikachu, they are my friends! Protect them too!"

 **"They are already safe. This is in your mind. None of this is real except me and you. You can make this stop. You blocked it once before."**

"You don't understand! Akuma is real!"

 **"Akuma died over a 1000 years ago, Ash. He's a figment of your imagination."**

"No, he never died!"

 **"He looks… really good for being over a 1000 years old. Ash, he's dead. He died just before I was rendered an egg."**

"You don't get it! Look at him, and at me!"

 **"…Why does he look like a younger version of you?"**

"Akuma never died. My father trapped his spirit inside a stone poke ball. Three years ago, I took the Battle Frontier challenge. The-His tomb was discovered. I found the stone orb, and thinking Ho-Oh inside, I released him. He's been a part of me since! I can't escape him no matter what I do! He makes me want to hurt the people I care about. Zyta, please, I can't fight anymore! He is going to kill me and use my body as his own! He will bring back Pokelantis! I'm scared, Zyta!" Ash was crying, "I can't get away from him!"

 **"Is this why you made the storm?"** Zyta asked, **"Were you trying to protect yourself?"**

"That's Winterra. She came when Akuma first attacked. You see, she is fighting Akuma who is using my Prince Ash form. She made the storm so others won't be harmed." Ash explained.

 **"Ash, people died because of the storm! Serena was nearly killed when her bus plunged off the road on the side of the mountain! Clemont too! Serena is very lucky I heard her prayer! If I hadn't, she would have froze to death! Can you tell Winterra to end the storm? Every legendary is out there, fighting! Even Arceus!"** Zyta turned to Ash, " **You can beat Akuma and reject him from your body!"**

Ash's eyes went wide. "Serena was hurt? People died? This is my fault! Some Prince I am! I can't even protect anyone! Zyta, leave before I hurt you too! Just go!"

 **"No. I will not leave!"** Zyta hissed, **"Akuma, here's the deal! Fight me, Pokémon to Pokémon! If I win, you will leave Ash and be sent to the fiery hell that is my domain!"**

"And if I win?" Akuma asked.

 **"You get Ash's body as your own. I will eject Ash's spirit and send him on to the River in the Stars."** Zyta promised, **"You have my word."**

"You will also become my Pokémon." Akuma smiled ferally.

 **"Deal."** Zyta turned to Ash again, **"Direct me."**

"Like a trainer does to a Pokémon in battle?"

 **"Yes. My moves are Darkness Divide, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, and Curse. Curse affects me like it does to Ghost type Pokémon as I am a Ghost/Dark type."**

"Okay." Ash took his spot on the field, Zyta at his side.

Akuma walked to the other side of the field. He drew out a poke ball that clearly had seen better days. It was scuffed up and very discolored. He threw it into the air.

"Sceptile! I choose you!" The Sceptile that appeared was very skinny. It's bones showed clearly through its torn skin. Old whip wounds covered by fresh wounds blanketed the body. It didn't have any leaves, and its tail was bare, the top few inches hacked off. Spurs set against its ankles, forcing it to step high to avoid the sharp metal blades digging into skin. A metal brace lined with spiked edges was around its neck, which bore wounds from being poked. A metal halter attached to the brace kept its head high and blinkers forced it to stare ahead. It's skin was very pale, the once bright green a pale yellow green, and its once deep red a pale orange. Its eyes sat inside hollows, and looked lifeless. Akuma held a whip. He cracked the air with it, causing the Sceptile to jump and get the spurs shoved into its ankles. It made no sound. Ash looked horrified.

 **"Remember, this isn't real."** Zyta moved to the circle in the center of the ring, the Sceptile joining her. **"Ash, this is not real."**

"I-I know, Zyta, but it still hurts!"

 **"I agree. No Pokémon deserves that kind of brutality done to it."**

"I shall be the gentleman and give you the first move." Akuma broke into the conversation.

"Fine. Zyta, use Curse." Ash responded.

 **"Curse? Is that-"** Zyta stopped herself, remembering that Pokémon were not supposed to question orders. She used Curse, wincing as what looked like a large nail was sucked into her body. She felt herself grow weak as what resembled her face floated over Sceptile.

"Sceptile, use Mach Punch!" Akuma ordered.

"Wait a minute! Last I checked, Sceptile can't learn Mach Punch!" Ash protested.

"Rules do not apply here!" Akuma growled, "Sceptile, use Mach Punch now!"

Sceptile didn't protest. It punched forward, a spinning fist flying toward Zyta.

"Zyta! Dodge, and use Dark Pulse!" Ash ordered.

Zyta feinted to the left and reared to hit the ground with her forelegs, sending out a wave of dark energy.

"Fly." Akuma ordered.

Sceptile lifted off the ground, the attack missing it.

 **"It flies?"** Zyta asked incredulously.

"It can't learn that move ether!" Ash protested again.

Sceptile came down on Zyta, damaging her. Zyta made no sound.

 **"It's time we break the rules too!"** Zyta decided.

"Use Flamethrower!" Ash tried.

Zyta opened her mouth and breathed hard. Nothing happened.

"No fair! The rules don't apply to you, you mean!" Ash cried out. He lit up, "Use Infestation and follow with Will-O-Wisp!"

 **"But I don't… You are a genius!"** Zyta glowed, sending first a wave of tiny Beedrill and following with a pair of spiraling fireballs. Both attacks hit. Sceptile screamed, plummeting to the ground.

"How?" Akuma roared.

"Since Flamethrower, an attack Zyta can't learn, failed, I thought about what she could learn. Thank you N and Lady J for forcing me to read all of those books about Pokémon types and all their attacks." Ash explained, "I also figured that since she is a ghost/dark type like Spiritomb, I would use its move list for Zyta."

 **"Smart, Ash. Spiritomb and I have very similar move lists."** Zyta remarked, **"Next move?"**

Sceptile went to its knees as Curse, Infestation, and Will-O-Wisp did damage.

"That alone takes out 3/8th of Sceptile's health. We just have to dodge you for a bit until it faints!" Ash grinned, "Shadow Ball, but wait." Sceptile had taken to the air again. It circled before diving toward Zyta. "Dodge and Shadow Ball the spot it will hit!"

Zyta dodged, tilted her head back, opened her mouth, and tilted her head forward, sending a Shadow Ball at the spot where Sceptile would land. Unable to dodge or pull up in time, Sceptile was hit. It's three status attacks struck, forcing it to its knees. It fell forward onto its arms.

"Get up, beast!" Akuma lashed it repeatedly with his whip.

"Stop it! That won't help at all!" Ash cried out.

Sceptile got to its feet painfully. It hissed.

"Finish it. Darkness Divide!" Akuma growled.

The air grew stifling hot. Zyta braced herself. The ground shook. Great chasms tore open to belch fire and sulphur. Thousands of chains poured from the chasms. Zyta grinned.

"Zyta, look out! Dodge!" Ash screamed.

Zyta only laughed. The chains wrapped around her and pulled her into her domain. Ash screamed. The chasms shut and everything cooled down. Ash gasped.

"I won." Akuma snarled. "Zyta is mine and so is your body!"

"Take my body. Take my Pokémon! You will never take my will! I will fight you every step you take! I will never surrender! I am Ash, son of Arceus, Prince of Pokémon, and the link between the human and Pokémon worlds! I will fight for Pokémon and humans alike! You will never have Zyta nor my father!" Ash looked determined.

"You have no Pokémon. You lost." Akuma hissed.

Laughter rang out.

 **"He still has me!"** Zyta erupted from the ground to land by Ash.

"How? Darkness Divide should have destroyed you!" Akuma asked.

 **"You sent me home, to my domain! I must thank you for that, because it let me do this!"** With that, Zyta evolved. Before long, a black Rapidash stood where Zyta once stood. Purple and white fire flared, forming her fetlocks, mane, and tail. **"This battle is not over!"**

"Zyta, attack at will!" Ash ordered.

 **"My pleasure!"** Zyta charged.

* * *

 **"Deoxys, the storm is not moving."** Rayquaza studied the roiling mass of black cloud below him. A tongue of flame jetted from somewhere beneath, the light streaking just below the cloud cover. **"Something is not right here.** "

 **"Fusion Flare!"** Reshiram burst through the cloud cover. " **We had the wrong idea! Winterra made the storm to protect everyone while she fought Prince Ash! The storm only moved because Ash was moved! All of us are doing our best to stop the cold tongues from reaching Ash! We can't keep this up much longer! Recall the others!"** She dove back under the cloud cover.

 **"Kyrum! Return to our location! Bring the others!"** Deoxys sent out her call.

Before long, all legendary Pokemon stood together. Arceus cleared his throat.

 **"Before I begin, I'm giving you a choice. You may leave. It is not my place to force you."** Arceus waited.

 **"Nope, duty calls!"** Jirachi replied, **"I believe I speak for all of us. This is the reason you bore us, Forefather. We are here, and we will stay."**

 **"Mom, don't. I'm not leaving!"** Leu glared at his mother, **"I'm a legendary too, and I fight for my future and that of everyone else! I'm staying, Mom!"**

 **"As much as I want you to leave, staying is your choice. I will do my best to protect you. Reshiram, you should go, considering your condition."** Lugia nuzzled Leu.

 **"I should, but I won't. This is what I was born to do, protect. I am staying."** Reshiram responded.

 **"Reconsider! I beg of you to reconsider, my love!"** Zekrom pleaded.

 **"No. I am staying!"**

 **"Think about our baby!"**

 **"If we fail, there will be no baby! I'm staying, my love!"**

 **"Reshiram is right. There's no future if we fail."** Keldo responded.

 **"Keld-"** Cobalion started

 **"NO!"** Keldo spat.

 **"The children know their roles very well."** Arceus responded, **"I have a mission for them. Come, children."** He led Keldo and Leu a bit away. **"Know that I am not doing this to keep you out of harms way. I need you two to go to Alola and find the four Tapu. They have… abilities that I need. You two must hurry. Ash's time is running out. Akuma's hold is growing stronger."**

 **"We're on it, Forefather."** Leu saluted while Keldo raised his right hind leg, showing the quadruped version of the salute. Both child legendaries streaked away.

* * *

Winterra was exhausted. It was taking too much effort to maintain the storm and keep Akuma at bay. The Ice Griffin Pokémon was a legendary from the ice region Algid. She had heard Ash's telepathic scream and had been the first to respond, having been on the border of Algid and Kalos. She had clashed with what she had thought was Ash. She realized quickly that she was fighting someone using Ash's Prince Ash form. A body slam crashed into her. Winterra gasped, and managed to return with a weak ice beam. Akuma dodged easily.

 **"Give it up, Winterra! You've lost!"** Akuma roared.

 **"Winterra! Let me take over now."** Kyrum joined her.

 **"Me, too."** Articuno joined them. **"I'll fight. Kyrum, maintain the storm."**

 **"Thank you…"** Winterra fell from the sky, too exhausted to even attempt to fly. Someone touched her, and the last thing she felt was warmth.

* * *

"Her name is Winterra, and she is a legendary from my home region." Kaito explained about Winterra as he cared for her. The lights began to flicker as the massive generators powering Sub-Snowbelle began to shudder. An engineer ran up to Kaito,

"Sir, we are losing Cog Four! Two and three are failing! Soon we will have to cut back on power!"

"I want everyone moved up here. Focus all power to the front portion of Sub-Snowbelle."

"Yes, Sir!" The engineer took off.

In Ash's room, the flickering lights and fading sound didn't go unnoticed.

"They're losing power." Clemont responded.

"If they lose all power…" Serena didn't dare to finish. They all knew what that would mean. Without the ventilator, Ash would die.

"Clemont, can't you do anything?" Bonnie asked.

"I am not sure." Clemont decided, "I am not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs ether. Pikachu, Dendenne, you two are with me." He left after Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder and Dendenne settled on his arm.

Zyta twitched as tremors gripped Ash's body. Serena moved toward the dark horse Pokémon.

"Don't. You might break the connection between them. We have to trust Zyta." Bonnie cautioned.

The rumble beneath their feet grew fainter. Nurse Joy rushed in with a cart. The cart held an air pump and tubing.

"I may need to bag him if we keep losing power." Joy explained. "The problem with the generators is disuse. We haven't had to evacuate here in over 100 years."

"Don't worry. My brother will know what to do." Bonnie smiled.

Zyta twitched as Ash went into convulsions. She shuddered along with Ash, her face screwed up in concentration. A faint glow surrounded her. Slowly it brightened. Zyta's eyes fell open, revealing nothing but white. Her mouth opened, her tongue and gums bleeding. She began to pant. Suddenly she arched back, her mouth open in a silent scream. With that she slipped into evolution. The light faded to reveal a black Rapidash with purple and white flaming hair. She sank back down by Ash.

"I think they are fighting something." Serena watched worriedly.

"What could be inside Ash's mind that is causing this reaction?" Joy asked, "I'm worried about the stress being put on Ash's brain."

Again, Zyta threw her head back, her mouth open in a silent scream. Blood oozed thickly from the corners of her mouth. Her body began to twist unnaturally. Ash lurched about, his own mouth beginning to bleed around the tube in his mouth. His eyes opened, showing nothing but white. Zyta lurched, causing Ash to convulse.

"Come on, Ash, Zyta!" Serena encouraged, "You can do this!"

"Don't give up!" Bonnie pleaded.

Ash began to arch up until only his head and feet supported his body. Zyta twisted the opposite direction. Ash crashed back onto the bed, only for his body to arch up again. Zyta went into the silent scream again. Again Ash crashed back onto the bed. Bloody tears leaked from his eyes. It was sickening to watch the boy go through the seizure again and again. Zyta shuddered, and again Ash went into the seizure. Nurse Joy swallowed, knowing she must stay her hands. It hurt watching Ash suffer and knowing she must not help him in any way.

"It's called a Cirque Du Seizure. It is not an actual seizure. It is a convulsion." Nurse Joy explained.

* * *

 **Queen Sunstar: Final chapter: Leu and Keldo locate the Tapu and discover a shocking secret while Clemont works feverishly to keep the power running. Cirque Du Seizure is a type of pseudo seizure. It is not a true Seizure but it is scary to see. It is a standard of demonic possession.**


End file.
